Nashville Ballet announces the premiere of a brand-new children’s ballet, Ferdinand the Bull. This delightful story has enchanted children for over seventy years, and on Sunday, Jan. 25, the public is invited to attend the premiere of this new ballet.
The 2 matinee at Massey Hall will include live music and narration to accompany the ballet. Nashville Ballet has collaborated with Belmont University for over a decade to create original children’s ballets. Each new original work tours for the next year to local libraries, community centers, schools, daycare centers, and all of the local Headstart programs, expanding horizons for over 61,000 youth and adults throughout the Nashville community.
Meet Ferdinand, the mild mannered star of our newest children's ballet, which is based on The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. As the story unfolds you will be charmed by a lovable bull that would much rather sit and smell the flowers of the field than fight and fuss like all the others.
Through Ferdinand's gentle spirit, we humorously learn to appreciate and embrace what truly makes each of us special and realize that, sometimes, "stopping to smell the flowers" can be far more beneficial than "putting up a fight"!
This production was choreographed by Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling, with original music by Belmont professor Mario DaSilva. This performance will be narrated by Brian Hull. The original costuming and set design is by Nashville Ballet dancer and designer, Eric Harris. His designs were cleverly inspired by the Cubist paintings of renowned Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso.
Nashville Ballet’s Children’s Ballets and Ballet Story-times are presented free of charge. Promoting literacy through the art of dance, the Children’s Ballets are based upon cultural folk tales and fairy tales enabling the Ballet to bring books to life, stimulate children’s creativity and curiosity, and encourage them to seek out books of this nature on their own. Each year Nashville Ballet works with Book ‘Em to target public schools and deserving service organizations with customized programs combining both literacy and dance. To further demonstrate Learning Curves’ commitment to literacy, Nashville Ballet provides dancers and staff at all of our Residency Schools during Read-Me-Week to read books to the elementary school children.
This event is free to the public, although attendees are encouraged to bring a new or “gently-read” children’s book to donate to Book Em!.