Guibord's ballet students to perform 'When Darkness Dances'

PLATTSBURGH — Picture a magical forest where fairies and woodland creatures once lived together in harmony. Three fairies – nature, fire and water – worked together to maintain balance in the enchanted forest against the dark fairy and her minions. One day, the dark fairy triumphed and the darkness spread, leaving the good fairies with no other option but to take back their home and restore the light. Four local middle schoolers — Emily Kneussle, Olivia Kenney, Lily Denton and Veda Bingel — wrote this script last summer for their upcoming ballet recital "When Darkness Dances," which they're slated to perform on Saturday. The 55-member cast of students from Guibord's North Country School of Ballet on McKinley Avenue have been working on this recital for a year — rehearsing four days a week, two hours a day. The four fairies have taken the reigns on this performance not only by writing the script, but making the props, picking out the music and coming up with choreography. One of the hardest tasks, they said, was working with the less experienced students, who are as young as 3 years old. "My tutu goes over the bunnies," said Kneussle, who also attends Seton Catholic. Despite the height differences, along with retaping the tree props over and over again, the four young ballerinas came together and produced this show. "I've learned you have to lay down the ground statement of a performance and work around that whether it be a formation or how to use props correctly," said Bingel, who attends Stafford Middle School. "Mistakes are often made, but that's what's so wonderful about choreographing and performances … you get people to understand the meaning of true work." 'BRIGHT FUTURE' All four students, who recently received honors in their recent Cecchetti ballet exam, started dancing at Guibord's since they were in elementary school. "Dance is a great way to express yourself," said Denton, who attends Beekmantown Central School. "It's inspiring." Denton wants to pursue a career in choreography when she grows up, while Kneussle plans to continue to dance and, one day, join a ballet company. The other two young ballerinas are leaning toward other future goals. Bingel would like to get into either interior or fashion design. Kenney, who attends Seton Catholic, is undecided. "I like to dance a lot," she said. "But I have so many other interests like science and writing. "I'm not sure what the future holds, but I know that dance will always be a big part of my life." Guibord's North Country School of Ballet will be showing "When Darkness Dances" on Saturday, June 3 at 1:30 p.m. in the Beekmantown High School auditorium. The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, call 561-5550 or visit guibords.com.

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Guibord's ballet students to perform 'When Darkness Dances'

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