CTAC School of Ballet presents 'Mothra' June 9-10

Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
Based on “Mothra,” the 1961 Japanese sci-fi film classic, “Mothra, The Ballet” includes all CTAC School of Ballet dancers from Beginning Ballet through Upper Level Ballet.
Based on “Mothra,” the 1961 Japanese sci-fi film classic, “Mothra, The Ballet” includes all CTAC School of Ballet dancers from Beginning Ballet through Upper Level Ballet.

HARBOR SPRINGS — The Crooked Tree Arts Center’s School of Ballet will present “Mothra, The Ballet” at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 9 and at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 10 at the Harbor Springs Performing Arts Center.

Based on “Mothra,” the 1961 Japanese sci-fi film classic, “Mothra, The Ballet” includes all School of Ballet dancers from Beginning Ballet through Upper Level Ballet and features choreography from seven different School of Ballet faculty.

In researching the movie “Mothra,” artistic director Heather Raue, a longtime fan of Japanese sci-fi and anime, was shocked to discover that no choreographer had ever staged a ballet version. To fill this artistic void, the CTAC School of Ballet created “Mothra, the Ballet.”

"I decided that the best way to celebrate the School of Ballet’s 20th anniversary was to create an entirely original ballet that contained all the elements of classical ballet. Love and loss, greed and envy, danger and pursuit, and above all beauty and elegance are all there! The diverse choreography demonstrates our students’ wide breadth of dance vocabularies, styles and character development. We have had an incredible time creating this ballet and are so excited to share it," said Raue.

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Payton Beckering, performing the role of Mothra, said “Working on ‘Mothra’ has been exciting, challenging and rewarding."

“Portraying Mothra as she maniacally seeks at all costs to save the Magic Twins has allowed me to find and channel emotion in my dancing to give every movement more purpose," Beckering said. "I think the audience will be amazed and delighted by my costume, which allows me to almost literally fly across the stage.”

Original artwork created by Beckering will be up for silent auction. Proceeds from the auction and from ticket sales directly support the CTAC School of Ballet’s Dance Scholarship Fund. To view the artwork, visit crookedtree.org. Bidding is open until 5 p.m. on Monday, June 12.

Tickets can be purchased at Crooked Tree Arts Center or online at crookedtree.org. Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for students and $50 for reserved seating.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: CTAC School of Ballet presents 'Mothra' June 9-10