Little Women Ballet Returns This Winter

Little Women Ballet will return with their winter site-specific immersive experience, the last in the Trilogy, with five unique performances between November 22-24, 2024, at Heritage Square Museum, and on December 7, 2024, Little Women Ballet will debut a full-length Ballet with two performances at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. Pioneering more ballets about women and their stories, Little Women, is an original ballet, manifesting the coming of age of sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they navigate an ever-changing world of war, poverty, love and loss as they learn to embrace their artistic gifts and share them with the world as a source of comfort. A delightful tale of family, friends, finding yourself, and growing up, Little Women will warm the hearts of audiences of all ages.

The November site-specific immersive experience features the winter and holiday season for audiences to enjoy being encapsulated into the beloved story of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Each of the trilogy’s performances at Heritage Square feature a new seasonal theme, music, décor, desserts and refreshments, and different parts of the Little Women novel told through vignettes of the Little Women story presented in ballet form. Audiences will venture into this classic tale for an immersive ballet experience. Join Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy inside the Victorian houses of Los Angeles as they tell their story of sisterhood, love, loss, and family. Meet all the characters up close, go on an immersive walking tour of the Heritage Square Museum, enjoy autumn-themed desserts and refreshments, and join the cast in Victorian dancing at the end of each performance.

When attendees arrive, each guest receives a goodie bag with items to be used throughout the experience, including a colored ribbon which lets the guests know the route they will follow. Complementary winter/holiday beverages and desserts are provided, and the finale invites guests to join in on Victorian Folk dancing with the cast. Guests are also invited to a meet and greet, including complementary photos with the cast following each performance.

Pioneering more ballets about women and their stories, Little Women Ballet pairs heartwarming life lessons with progressive ideas about women’s roles in 19thcentury America. Be part of the story as Little Women Ballet dancers perform in the historic mansions and beautiful private grounds of this iconic landmark. Heritage Square is the living history and open-air architecture museum which includes eight historic structures located beside the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Montecito Heights neighborhood in the southern Arroyo Seco area.

A combination of over 20 dedicated professional ballet dancers ranging in age from 10-75, donned in 19th century handmade costumes make up the cast. Several of the musical compositions used for the production are composed by Daniel Robbins, combined with several classic Victorian pieces. Dr. Robbins is a noteworthy music educator, composer, orchestrator, and classic film music reconstructionist.

The winter Little Women Ballet site-specific immersive experience takes place with five performances on Friday, November 22 at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, November 23 for two performances; 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; and Sunday, November 24 for two performances; 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $60pp (includes an autumn goodie bag with items to be used throughout the performance; complementary winter beverages and desserts, and a tour of Heritage Square Museum through dance). Heritage Square Museum is located at 3800 Homer Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031.

Then, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at the Wilshire Ebell Theater, Little Women Ballet presents a full-length original ballet based on the novel, for two performances only: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. In partnership with ArtistsPlus Productions and The Ebell of Los Angeles. Tickets range from $28-$40. The Wilshire Ebell Theatre is located at 4401 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90005.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the experience at Heritage Square Museum and the full-length ballet at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, please visithttps://www.littlewomenballet.com.

Little Women Ballet, established in 2023 by Emma Andres, is a series of dance works about the classic tale Little Women --- with the culmination being a full-length ballet. This work is a tribute to Louisa May Alcott and other female authors and launches a movement toward more ballets surrounding women and their stories. As a female choreographer, director, and teacher, Andres, who is just 26 years old, believes it is crucial that young artists see stories that are uplifting, inspiring, and, most of all, center around characters they can relate to and admire.
 

The ballet features choreography that captures the essence of the characters and the pivotal moments in their lives. The dancers are coached in both their technical artistry and character development. The ballet is set to music composed by Daniel Robbins and other classic pieces from composers such as Debussy and Brahms, which complement the emotional depth of the story. It's a beautiful fusion of dance and literature, bringing the beloved characters and their experiences to life on stage.

Little Women Ballet has evolved into many forms, including several Dynamic Productions and a short film. Little Women Ballet, the Immersive Experience Trilogy is currently taking place at Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles. In addition, Little Women Ballet offers open ballet classes with the cast.

Emma Andres is a professional ballet dancer and contemporary/classical ballet choreographer who has experience working in the techniques of jazz, contemporary, modern, and ballet. Andres earned her BFA in Dance Choreography at UC Irvine where she was a recipient of the merit-based William Gillespie Scholarship. During her time at UCI, Andres had the pleasure of working with distinguished faculty, including Lar Lubovitch, Diane Diefenderfer, Molly Lynch, Vitor Luiz, Tong Wang, Loretta Livingston, and Dr. Ama Wray. She has performed nationally and internationally, including in Shanghai, China, and Panama. In 2019, Andres showcased her first original choreographed work in a main-stage production, Façade Azur — a contemporary ballet piece experimenting with the different states of water. Recently, Andres performed as a soloist in Petra Conti & Eris Nezha’s covid-friendly production of Giselle and has created several new ballet works that combine technique and whimsy, including In The Cosmos and American In Paris. She is currently the Studio Manager, teacher, and resident choreographer for Pasadena Civic Ballet (PCB). Andres is a Ballet Teaching Artist for the Music Center in Los Angeles and is the Co-Artistic Director of SCOPIXdance, a new dance organization emphasizing exciting choreography from up-in-coming choreographers.

Heritage Square Museum explores the settlement and development of Southern California during its first 100 years of statehood through historic restoration and preservation. The eight historic structures located at the museum, constructed during the Victorian Era, were saved from demolition and serve as a perfect background to educate the public about the everyday lives of Southern Californians from the close of the 19th Century into the early decades of the 20th Century. Over the past fifty years, Heritage Square Museum has acquired and begun the restoration of eight historically significant buildings from different Los Angeles neighborhoods. Located on acres of period appropriate landscaped grounds, the museum is the place where history comes alive!

ArtistsPlus Productions, Inc. is the collective creation of three outstanding director-choreographers from Southern California. After collaborating on numerous projects, Diane De Franco Browne, Shauna Goddard-Barger and Jackie Kopcsak united their creative visions, coming together to form their own production company. ArtistsPlus Productions enhances the performing arts experiences by bringing the power and imagination of excellent dance-making to collaborative creative partnerships throughout Southern California and around the world. 

 

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