REXBURG — It’s a story many of us have heard before, the story of the Ugly Duckling growing up—you know the one about the gray cygnet hatching into the wrong family and not being accepted by the other ducks? Ballet Etude in Rexburg is seeking to add its own twist to the story in its upcoming performance entitled The Swan.
“We liked the uplifting message that we could include in the ugly duckling story, and then just decided that the Swan sounded like a more beautiful title, so we went with that. We’ve just have enjoyed using themes of nature, animals, plants and seasons to create our beautiful story, and hope that it touches hearts and makes people feel something,” Artistic Director Kiersten Lewis says.
“The traditional story of the ugly duckling is quite sad because the ugly duckling, which is just a cygnet, she got into the wrong nest, she’s sort of just abandoned by the duck family, and we’ve changed that around because we wanted the message to be a bit different, so duck family embraces baby swan and I think it’s so special and so relatable,” Assistant Artistic Director Madissen Fujimoto says.
Lewis and Fujimoto choreographed the show to be an enchanting and inviting retelling of a favorite childhood piece.
“We’ve taken it from a simple story of the ugly duckling, which you could read in three minutes, and we’ve elaborated and turned it into this beautiful story of resilience, and acceptance, and finding yourself,” Fujimoto says.
This year, the ballet will feature three shows between May 29 and 30—Friday evening, Saturday matinee, and Saturday evening, but if you go all three times, you’ll see a different lead on center stage each time.
“More opportunities for our dancers. It gives three different dancers an opportunity to be the lead,” Fujimoto says.
The leads all have different styles, and they’ve enjoyed doing multiple roles within the show. Overall, the roles include students and company members ranging from ages 3 to 50.
“I would say it’s pushed me artistically because I love watching Kaitlyn and Bethany dance, so when they’re doing The Swan lead, I love picking up little nuances they do and incorporating them into my part of the dance,” company member and swan lead Olivia Seedall says.
Get your tickets for The Swan at BalletEtude.com.
“Our last two shows have sold out before show week,” Lewis says
“We don’t like turning people away,” Fujimoto says.