Bluegrass Youth Ballet (BYB) presents a new original ballet, The Nightingale, on October 24th at 7 PM and October 25th at 3 and 7 PM at the Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall. Directed by Adalhi Aranda Corn, this ballet brings Hans Christian Andersen’s literary fairy tale to life through dance!

The story is one of a Chinese Emperor who learns that the song of the nightingale is one of the most beautiful things life has to offer. He sends his kitchen maid to the forest to retrieve a nightingale, which he holds captive in his palace. All interest in the nightingale is lost when he receives the gift of a lavishly adorned mechanical bird. The real nightingale returns to the forest, and the mechanical bird breaks down from overuse. The Emperor becomes gravely ill and is close to death when the real nightingale returns to the palace and restores his health with her song.

The ballet is cultural and educational, and closely follows Bluegrass Youth Ballet’s formula for their past original story ballets, such as Dia de los Muertos. Complete with an English/Chinese narration, a fusion of ballet and Traditional Chinese Dancing, Chinese Music, and Chinese Costumes, this production offers an array of experiences for audience members.

The role of the Nightingale will be danced by Bluegrass Youth Ballet dancer, Isabelle Morgan, 13, who spent this past summer training at the School of American Ballet (the official school of the New York City Ballet). The Mechanical Bird will be danced by BYB student, Lilia Thomas, 15, who attends SCAPA Lafayette. Bluegrass Youth Ballet dancers have been working with Han Wang to learn Traditional Chinese Dance. Ms. Wang is attending the University of Kentucky, and has lived in the United States for one year.

“It is a new challenge for these young dancers, to learn such a precise and intricate style of dancing. It has been an amazing experience for them to transfer the skills they have as ballet dancers into learning a cultural form of dance, which they have never experienced before,” says Ms. Corn.

In addition to the collaboration with Ms. Wang, Bluegrass Youth Ballet has incorporated several artists and arts organizations in the community in the making of this ballet, including the Lexington Children’s Theatre (sets and costumes), Hong Shao, master of four-stringed, pear-shaped Chinese traditional lute Pipa. Hong has been with the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts over ten years and has performed Pipa across Kentucky and neighboring states. She founded the Chinese Music, Dance, and Arts Program to extend Chinese culture to Lexington and Central Kentucky (Chinese narration), and David Goud (former dancer of the Louisville Ballet, guest choreographer).

This performance will be performed for schools on October 23rd and 24th, in addition to the three public performances. Bluegrass Youth Ballet offers a Teacher Guide which helps teachers prepare their students for their field trip to the ballet! Information about dance, music, theatre, Chinese Culture, and the story of The Nightingale is contained in the Teacher Guide.

BYB’s culturally rich Nightingale ballet is perfectly in line with Bluegrass Youth Ballet’s mission, to enhance lives by providing dance education in a positive environment for all youth through high quality training, innovative performances, and cultural experiences. There is no doubt that this performance is a beautiful experience to behold, much like the Emperor discovered in the song of his beloved nightingale.