Festival Ballet Theatre Gives Elegant Performance of The Firebird at Irvine Barclay Theatre

The Festival Ballet Theatre thrilled attendees at the Irvine Barclay Theatre with a performance of The Firebird.

This amazing dance company brings the international dance world to the OC, and they did just that with the opening of their 31st season with this elegant performance. The Festival Ballet Theatre was founded as a non-profit in 1988 and is the premier ballet company of Orange County. They brought this beautiful one-act ballet set to the music of Igor Stravinsky to the 750-seat theatre for a very intimate experience.  The production of The Firebird was choreographed for Festival Ballet Theatre by choreographer Nikolai Kabaniaev in 2010. The Firebird is based on a Russian folk tale of a magical glowing bird and a prince who enters an enchanted world.  Prince Ivan and the Firebird join together to break the evil spell of Kashchei, the wicked magician.

The principal dancers were Greyson Hanson as Kashchei, Vitor Luiz as Prince Ivan, Moorea Pike as Firebird, and Sophia Johncox as Princess Vasilisa.

Moorea Pike has performed worldwide and in numerous principal and soloist roles. Her Firebird performance was stellar and captivated the audience with her beauty and strength. Greyson Hanson has trained since the age of nine and was awarded the William J. Gillespie Scholarship in Ballet Studies among many other accomplishments. His performance as Kashchei was strong as he summoned the dark character of the evil magician. Vitor Luiz has trained with The Royal Ballet School and joined the San Francisco Ballet in 2009. His role as Prince Ivan was convincing with the emotion brought by Luiz. Sophia Johncox was elegant as Princess Vasilisa. She started her career at the age of six and went on to attend the Joffrey Ballet Academy. She has trained in the Royal Ballet Academy, Paris Opera Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.

The performance also included excerpts from the following:

• Chopiniana – A ballet with no plot about a young poet in the world of the Sylphides was choreographed by Michel Fokine in 1908 to music by Frederic Chopin.
• Frescoes – An excerpt from The Little Humpbacked Horse where the figures are brought to life from painted frescoes and was choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to music by Cesare Pugni.
• Scheherazade – A piece based on the tales of the One Thousand and One Nights. Originally choreographed by Michel Fokine in 1910, to music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This piece was choreographed by Tara Ghassemieh Luiz & Vitor Luiz and the chemistry was electric.

 

If you missed The Firebird, no need to worry, you can catch the Festival Ballet Theatre this December in The Nutcracker. Take a look at the other upcoming shows at Irvine Barclay Theatre below and to purchase tickets visit their website.

Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612 (949) 854-4646

10/18/2019 – 10/19/2019

Gravity and Other Myths: Backbone

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

10/20/2019

Mozart Classical Orchestra: Haydn for President

Presented by Mozart Classical Orchestra

 

10/22/2019

East Meets West: International Dance and Music Festival

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

10/23/2019

Concert for Compassion featuring Perla Batalla in The House of Cohen

Presented by UCI Blum Center

 

10/25/2019

MOMIX: Viva MOMIX

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

10/26/2019

Paco de Lucia Project

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre & New World Flamenco Festival

 

10/27/2019

Mandy Gonzalez: From Stephen Schwartz to Lin-Manuel Miranda

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

10/29/2019

Shakespeare On Trial 2019: Shylock Appeals His Case

Presented by UCI School of Humanities

 

10/30/2019

NTL Screening: Hamlet (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre in Association with Arts Orange County

 

11/1/2019

Quincy Jones presents: Shelea – A Natural Woman

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

11/2/2019

Dorado Schmitt and the Django Festival All-Stars

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

11/6/2019 – 11/7/2019

David Sedaris

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

11/17/2019 – 11/23/2019

UCI Drama: Company

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

11/24/2019

Adonis Rose and NOJO 7 of New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

11/26/2019

UCI Symphony Orchestra

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

11/30/2019

Storm Large: Holiday Ordeal

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

12/1/2019

Asleep at the Wheel: Merry Texas Christmas Y’all

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

12/5/2019

Festival Ballet Theatre: The Nutcracker – Abridged Performance for Youth

Presented by Festival Ballet Theatre

 

12/7/2019 – 12/24/2019

Festival Ballet Theatre: The Nutcracker

Presented by Festival Ballet Theatre

 

12/12/2019

Danú: An Emerald Isle Christmas

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/10/2020

Diane Schuur – I Remember You

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/16/2020

Sussan Deyhim: La Belle et La Bete

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/18/2020

Music of the Knights: Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/19/2020

Mozart Classical Orchestra: Happy Birthday Mozart

Presented by Mozart Classical Orchestra

 

1/22/2020

David Doubilet & Jennifer Hayes: Coral Kingdoms and Empires of Ice

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/23/2020

NTL Screening: All My Sons (with Sally Field and Bill Pullman)

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre in Association with Arts Orange County

 

1/26/2020

The Snowy Day and Other Stories

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/30/2020

BODYTRAFFIC

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

1/31/2020

JazzReach: Con Alma y Fuego: A Celebration of Latin Jazz

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/5/2020

NTL Screening: The Lehman Trilogy

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre in Association with Arts Orange County

 

2/6/2020

Kevin Kwan

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/7/2020

Keola Beamer with Moanalani Beamer

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/8/2020 – 2/9/2020

Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Revue

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/20/2020 – 2/22/2020

UCI Dance Visions

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

2/23/2020

Georgia On My Mind: A Celebration of Ray Charles and His Music

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/26/2020

BeijingDance/LDTX: Arc

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/27/2020

Tom Scott & the L.A. Express

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

2/28/2020

Chaplin’s Smile: A Musical Tribute to Charlie Chaplin

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County

 

2/29/2020

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/4/2020

The Finest Hour: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Music that Ended WWII

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/6/2020

UCI Symphony Orchestra

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

3/7/2020

We Shall Overcome:A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. featuring Damien Sneed

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/8/2020

Mozart Classical Orchestra: Strings Attached

Presented by Mozart Classical Orchestra

 

3/12/2020

Kahulanui

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/13/2020

Garry Krinsky: Toying with Science

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/14/2020

Karla Bonoff and Livingston Taylor

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/15/2020

Israeli Superstar: Noa

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/18/2020

Steve Winter: On the Trail of Big Cats

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/19/2020

Arturo Sandoval

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

3/21/2020 – 3/22/2020

Festival Ballet Theatre: Swan Lake

Presented by Festival Ballet Theatre

 

3/26/2020

Gala Flamenca

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre & New World Flamenco Festival

 

3/27/2020

Mnozil Brass

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County

 

3/28/2020

Lucie Arnaz: I got the Job! Songs From My Musical Past

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

4/5/2020

Mozart Classical Orchestra: Season Finale

Presented by Mozart Classical Orchestra

 

4/9/2020

Makana: Songs & Stories of Hawaii

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

4/15/2020

Kakani Katija: Designed by Nature

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

4/17/2020 – 4/18/2020

Bollywood Boulevard: A Journey Through Hindi Cinema Live

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

4/19/2020

Laurie Berkner Greatest Hits Solo Show

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

4/24/2020 – 4/25/2020

Jungle Book

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

4/26/2020

USAF Airmen of Note

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

5/1/2020

Celebrate Music at UCI

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

5/9/2020 – 5/10/2020

UCI Opera: The Scarlet Letter

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts

 

5/12/2020

NTL Screening: Midsummer Night’s Dream

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre in Association with Arts Orange County

 

5/13/2020

Ami Vitale: Rhinos, Rickshaws and Revolutions

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

5/16/2020

Notte Vivace: Trio Celeste and Chamber Music OC

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

5/20/2020

Joey DeFrancesco

Presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

 

6/5/2020

UCI Symphony Orchestra

Presented by UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts