Cast Set for Ballet’s Afternoon Delite 

Ballet Ensemble of South Texas has set the cast for this spring’s production of Afternoon Delite.  “Our production will include the children’s ballet Hansel and Gretel and the classical ballet Les Sylphides,” Kathleen Waltz, Interim Artistic Director said.

This year’s performances will be April 29 and 30 at 3 p.m. at Clear View High School located at 400 South Walnut in Webster.  Cast members include children from local ballet studios with a special performance as Hansel’s father by Jaime DeFabio, owner of Hole in the Wall Mall in League City.

Hansel and Gretel, composed by Engelbert Humperdinck in 1893, is a 30 minute ballet based on the familiar Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a gingerbread house in the woods and a brother and sister lost and captured by a wicked witch.

Les Sylphides, composed by Frederic Chopin in 1909 and originally choreographed by Michael Fokine, is a one-act ballet evoking the spirit of the sylph through a suite of dances in the romantic atmosphere of a moonlit park.

“The concept of Afternoon Delite is to introduce children to the classical art of ballet through stories that are fun and familiar,” Waltz said, “though these classical pieces are beloved by all ages.”

To help raise funds for the upcoming event, BEST will hold a Jail-N-Bail fundraiser by placing local officials and business leaders in lock-up.  Friends, family, and coworkers will be asked to contribute donations towards their release.  In addition to the lock-up, supporters of BEST can go online at www.bestballet.org to order magazines or shop at an online shopping mall and up to 40% of their purchases will go to the ballet company.

Tickets for both performances are $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under and may be purchased online at www.bestballet.org or by calling the BEST office at 281-332-6442.  Group discounts are available.