Dance Up Close to Allegra Kent's "Ballerina Swan"

Allegra Kent was once a Principal Ballerina and a favorite of George Balanchine during his reign at the New York City Ballet. She is also an actress and an author, the latter being the catalyst for this feature. Thanks to Making Books Sing, a theater company and arts education non-profit, Ballerina Swan, a children’s book by Kent, has the chance to be turned into a ballet.

Ballerina Swan, a 50-minute family show blending dance, theater and puppetry, stars Sophie, a swan who livesin the Central Park pond. While other swans are perfectly content doing regular "swan" things, Sophie dreams of dancing. The show features three dancers and one dancer-puppeteer who operates the  five-foot Sophie Swan puppet. Choreographed by Michael McGowan, Ballerina Swan features a libretto by Barbara Zinn Kreiger, founder of Making Books Sing. The swan puppet was designed by the renowned puppet troupe Phantom Limb.

More Sophie Swan and Making Books Sing Team in Rehearsal

Best suited for children aged 3 through 8, Ballerina Swan can still be enjoyed by dance enthusiasts of all ages. Anyone can learn from Sophie the Swan’s example where it concerns perseverance, because dancing is a human/animal right!