Ballet Co.Laboratory Will Perform LUNAR LULLABY

In the third year of Ballet Co.Laboratory's Laboratory II: Emerging Choreographer Program, our capital city's ballet company and school is raising the curtain on their first production created specifically for their youngest audience members - toddlers and preschoolers.

While many dance performances are geared towards school children and adults, this year's Laboratory II creation will be a 45-minute storybook ballet titled Lunar Lullaby. A nostalgic nod to the beloved children's book Goodnight Moon, Lunar Lullaby will be performed by the upper-level students of The School of Ballet Co.Laboratory on February 26, 2022, at 2pm and 7pm at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul.

Lunar Lullaby follows the storyline of Margaret Wise Brown's classic tale which features bunny's bedtime ritual of saying "goodnight" to the objects in their room. Appearances by the three little bears, cow jumping over the moon, two little kittens, and so many more will take place in bunny's magical great green room.

While the benefits of access to the performing arts are far-reaching for all, they are especially significant for young children. Early exposure to the arts has been proven to have profound impacts on children's social, physical, and emotional development, helping them to grow into creative problem-solvers with a sense of empathy for others.

Unlike prior Laboratory II programs, Lunar Lullaby gives dancers and audiences the opportunity to see characters inside the context of a larger narrative, which is often easier for younger audiences to connect with. So too, the shorter performance run time, colorful sets and costumes, COVID precautions, and encouragement for audiences to come in their favorite pajamas bring a level of comfort and excitement for those attending their first live performance.

Though geared primarily towards young children, adults and older children will not feel overlooked. The contemporary storybook ballet features movement set to popular tunes, such as "Moon Dance" by Van Morrison, "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and "Dream a Little Dream of Me" by Doris Day.

Lunar Lullaby will be choreographed by Ballet Co.Laboratory's 2022 Laboratory II Emerging Choreographer, Genevieve Waterbury. Supported in part by the City of Saint Paul's Cultural STAR (Sales Tax Revitalization) Program, Ballet Co.Laboratory's Laboratory II: Emerging Choreographer Program opens doors for local, rising choreographers to nurture their creative talents. One local, emerging choreographer is selected through this program each year. The selected artist is compensated not only for the final product but creation and rehearsal time, while being simultaneously mentored in production design and arts administration. Lunar Lullaby will be Waterbury's first full-length ballet.

"Lunar Lullaby is a playful and tender tribute to childhood storytime. This show is meant to rekindle our love of home after these unusual years of feeling confined to it. I hope that audience members and dancers leave this performance eager to re-imagine their own bedtime rituals and to find new ways to treasure the objects, colors, and stories which give their homes life," shares Waterbury.

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