Susan Stroman Will Preview LITTLE DANCER at the Guggenheim on 10/5

The cast and creative team behind Little Dancer, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, will perform excerpts and discuss the new show Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm at the Kennedy Center.

Inspired by the obscure ballerina who posed for the famed Edgar Degas sculpture Little Dancer Aged Fourteen(1879-81), this new musical follows the young dancer Marie Van Goethem as she struggles in the Paris Opera Ballet and inadvertently becomes the world's most recognized dancer. Excerpts will be performed by four-time Tony Award-winner Boyd Gaines, three-time Tony Award-nominee Rebecca Luker, and New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck. Director and choreographer Susan Stroman will participate in a moderated discussion with Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music).

Arrive early and stay late to view Degas' Dancers in Green and Yellow (Danseuses vertes et jauntes) from the Guggenheim's permanent collection, from 6:30-7:30 pm and 8:45-9:30 pm in the Thannhauser Gallery.

Tickets are sold out. Additional tickets may be released on the Friday before the event. Please contact the Box Office at 212 423 3575 for additional information.

This program will be livestreamed at guggenheim.org/live.

Performances for the Kennedy Center world premiere musical begin October 25 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater and the official press night is Thursday, November 20. Along with Tiler Peck as the young Marie van Goethem, the musical will star Boyd Gaines as Edgar Degas and Rebecca Luker as the adult Marie van Goethem.

The creative team includes set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Kai Harada, and music supervision by David Loud. Shawn Gough will conduct the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Photo: Tiler Peck in Kennedy Center's Little Dancer.