Spring ballet premieres Friday

A slice of the "Big Apple" is coming to Bloomington.

“New York, New York!,”IU Ballet Theater’s spring production, begins Friday.
“New York, New York!” consists of the productions “Cloven Kingdom” and “Lilac Garden” by Paul Taylor and “Who Cares?” by George Balanchine.

The first ballet, “Cloven Kingdom,” explores the animalistic side to an otherwise civilized culture. It premiered in 1976.

“Lilac Garden” is set to Ernest Chausson’s “Poem for Violin” and “Orchestra” and tells the story of love lost through marriage.

The unabridged version of “Who Cares?” will be accompanied by the music of George Gershwin and performed by Jacobs School of Music students.

Senior and ballerina Caitlin Kirschenbaum isperforming in “Who Cares?”
This will be her last performance at IU.

“I loved the rehearsals for ‘Who Cares?,’” Kirschenbaum said. “It’s my last show, so it’ll be bittersweet.

Practice for the ballet began when students returned from winter break.

“I’ve been practicing every day from 11:30 to 5:45, so full days,” sophomore and ballerina Laura Whitby said.

Whitby is performing in “Who Cares?” and “Lilac
Garden.” Opening night of the play will mark her seventh performance with IU Ballet Theater.

“You put in all of those hours and you really want to share your work,” Whitby said. “It’s been a lot of effort, but we’re all ready to perform.”

Performances of “New York, New York!” take place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday with another matinee performance at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Musical Arts Center.

Ticket prices range from $8 to $16 for students. General admission tickets range from $12 to $20. Tickets can be purchased at the MAC box office or online through Ticketmaster. Bursar billing is available.

“I’ve realized in my time here what an amazing opportunity we have,” Kirschenbaum said. “There is always a receptive audience, a live orchestra and a beautiful stage and theater. I’m very grateful.”