Central Indiana Dance Ensemble Hosts Mixed Rep Performance This Weekend

Central Indiana Dance Ensemble will host their Mixed Rep performance on Sunday, March 3 at The Tarkington Theatre at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, IN.

This year’s performance will be similar to last year’s masterful example of classical ballet, Giselle. The Mixed Rep will feature an exciting blend of classical, contemporary, and modern repertoire. Join CIDE for a captivating afternoon showcasing innovative and breathtaking original choreography by world-renowned artists, culminating with excerpts from a celebrated classical ballet, Coppelia, a comic ballet from the 1870s.  

Dr. Coppélius has made a life-size dancing doll - so lifelike that Franz, a village youth, becomes infatuated with it and sets aside his heart's true desire, Swanhilda. She shows him his folly by dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to life and ultimately saving him from an untimely end at the hands of the inventor.

In Act 3 Swanhilda and Franz are about to be married when an angry Dr. Coppelius appears, claiming damages. Swanhilda offers Dr. Coppelius her dowry, Franz offers to pay as well, then the mayor intervenes and gives Dr. Coppelius a bag of money, which placates him. Swanhilda and Franz are married and the entire town celebrates by dancing.

Photo is from 2012 performance of Coppelia - featuring CIDE alumna, Hannah Sink.  Photo by Paul Retzlaff

Also included will be two pieces from the Ballet Alliance Festival evaluation, Morpheus and Khachaturiana, which took place earlier this month, along with a piece from Paul Tillman called Riverside. This piece was choreographed during last year’s Summer Intensive. Paul danced with Ballet Arkansas (company).

Finally, there will be a student choreographed piece by senior dancer Gretchen Greener. This dynamic piece is called Anam Cara and mixes her ballet training with her extensive Irish Step Dancing training.

CIDE is a Resident Company with The Tarkington; it is also the only pre-professional resident with The Tarkington. The Mixed Repertoire is made up of high school, middle school and elementary students aged 11 to 18.

Students in this performance include four graduating seniors, most of whom are going to college for dance and/or plan to incorporate dance into their lives in the future. Past students have been recipients of scholarships to many top dance companies and schools including Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Graduates of the company have gone on to join Richmond Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Butler Ballet, and Indiana University Dance Theatre, to name a few.

If you enjoy and appreciate the art of dance, you absolutely won’t want to miss the Mixed Repertoire performing an exciting blend of classical, contemporary, and modern dance.

The performance begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 3. Prior to the performance, beginning at 2 p.m., there will be a silent auction benefiting the company. Tickets are available at this link: https://thecenterpresents.org/tickets-events/events/2324/resident-companies/cide-mixed-rep/

To learn more about the Central Indiana Dance Ensemble, including their mission, history and upcoming shows, visit their website at https://www.cidedance.org/.