Baby Mice save the day in AvO’s newest Ballet!

Here’s a little song to sing & dance and have a little fun with Beatrix Potter’s “Tailor of Gloucester”

(Sung to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas!)

In part ONE of our ballet the story goes like this! Welcome to Gloucester Wassail!  (Strut in your own little circle like the village gentlemen.)

In part TWO of our ballet the story goes like this! Simpkin sneaks around! (Do little leaps like a cat sneaking up on a mouse!) … and Welcome to Glouster Wassail! (Don’t forget to strut…)

In part THREE of our ballet the story goes like this!  Mice hide in teacups! (Kneel and hide your mouse ears– make yourself tiny to fit under the teacup!) … Simpkin sneaks around … and Welcome to Gloucester Wassail!

… Part FOUR … Snowflakes are swirling! (chausse entournant… a turning leap!)

…Part FIVE … The Tailor Catches COLD! (AH CHOO!) (Sneeze!)

…Part SIX … Snow Queen Flits By (small bourree with arms and hands gliding showing snow falling) …

…Part SEVEN … Animals can speak! (Jump with legs bent like a frog: grande changement) …

…Part EIGHT … Flowers are in stitches! (Show flowers growing or mice sewing) …

…Part NINE … Two Mice get Married! (Step solemnly like bride and groom walking down aisle) …

…Part TEN … Simpkin is Sorry! (Show Simpkin’s Sad face and tears on cheeks) …

…Part ELEVEN …  Wake up, It’s Christmas! (Arabesque Skip!) …

…Part TWELVE … We all take a bow! (Bow or Curtsey) ….

 The Cincinnati Kinderballet proudly presents a new ballet for the winter 2009 performance season:  The Tailor of Gloucester!

In 1903, Beatrix Potter crafted a charming fable of mice with generous hearts and a cat with a conscience.  The Tailor of Gloucester must finish a cherry-colored coat for the Mayor by Christmas Day, but his cat has hidden the last bit of silk needed out of spiteful anger.  The tailor despairs and takes ill, leaving the cloth he cut on his workbench; the coat lies unfinished.  Christmas is a time of wonder and only a miracle can help the tailor.  Will his Christmas morning be a joyous one?

This holiday season, the Cincinnati Kinderballet of the Anneliese von Oettingen School of Ballet and Ballet Companies brings to life the story of the Tailor of Gloucester.  The performance weaves Beatrix Potter’s tale about a “time of swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats with flowered lappets—when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats…” with traditional carols, Renaissance music, and the contemporary works of Benjamin Britton and Patrick Doyle.  The result is purely magical and a guaranteed Christmas delight for the whole family.

Visit www.avoballet.org or call 513-481-0092 for more information about upcoming performances.

We are grateful to Lauren Canfield for setting the snow scene in our new Tailor of Gloucester Ballet!  Click below to see part of the rehearsal… 

Snow Choreography from Lauren

 Click on smaller images for additional downloading options: front and back of postcard for Winter 2009 Kinderballet performance season.

          Poster and blank poster jpegs

Saturday, 5 December: 11:00 a.m.  Batesville Middle School Commons  Sponsored by the Batesville Memorial Library

Sunday, 6 December:  3:00 p.m.  The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Vine Street Downtown 

Saturday, 12 December: 11:00 a.m. Historic Hoosier Theater, Vevay

 Saturday, 12 December:  3:30 p.m.  the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County,  Groesbeck  Branch

 Saturday, 19 December:  2:00 p.m.  Rising Sun, Heritage Hall

 Sunday, 20 December: 3:00 p.m. location to be confirmed

On December 20^th we are very excited to team up with an old friend to do a benefit for the Nancy Holbrook and Bertha Minning Foundation aka “Pass the Hat for Breast Cancer.”    Click here to find out more about Pass The Hat

Tuesday, 22 December: 2:00 p.m.  the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County,  Harrison Branch

Gloucester Wassail

Click here to read about some of our past productions:

Peter Pan Ballet

Nutcracker at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Sleeping Beauty

Gala World Tour (look at the upper right corner under “Tuesday 12″ page 33)

The beautiful story and pictures of Beatrix Potter are brought to life by the Cincinnati Kinderballet Winter 2009

The Tailor of Gloucester is said to be Beatrix Potter’s favorite story, published in 1903. In England, it is traditionally read to children on Christmas Eve, just before bed time. The Story is set at Christmas time with a poor and frail tailor set to finish a coat for the Mayor of Gloucester’s wedding on Christmas morning.

After cutting out all the pieces for the coat, the tailor finds that he does not have enough cherry silk twist to finish. With his last 4 pennies, he sends his cat Simpkin to buy food and enough cherry twist to finish the coat. While the cat is gone, the tailor frees the mice from teacups where Simpkin has imprisoned them. When Simpkin returns and finds his mice gone, he hides the twist in anger. When the tailor falls ill, the mice save the day by completing the coat.

The ballet is brought to life by members of the Cincinnati Kinderballet ranging in age from age 8 through adult, with Emily Gardner and Elizabeth Brock sharing the role of Simpkin, and Sheri Heffern as the Tailor.   Choreography is by Conni Berns, Laura Baresel, Celia Wallen, Lauren Canfield, and Laura Hughes.   

Music includes more contemporary works of Benjamin Britton and Patrick Doyle along side traditional Renaissance music and plenty of traditional and ancient carols from the Gloucester Wassail, The Holly and The Ivy, and Three Ships to lesser known 14th Century works like “Wolcum Yole” and “There is No Rose.” The end result pays homage to the spirit of Beatrix Potter’s work.

“From all the roofs and gables and old wooden houses in Gloucester came a thousand merry voices singing the old Christmas rhymes: all the old songs that I ever heard of and some that I don’t know…”

For more information please contact the School of Ballet at 513 481-0092, or visit us at www.avoballet.org.

When Anneliese von Oettingen fled Germany as a refugee and arrived in Cincinnati with her two young children in 1947, she brought with her a love of teaching and a fierce dedication to the principle that ballet could transcend barriers and be an outlet for artistic expression.  Due to her experiences under a harsh regime in her native country, Anneliese refused to tolerate convention and she celebrated diversity.  She accepted all students when she established her ballet school in 1948 and was among the first to have African American students on stage. 

Over the years, the AvO School of Ballet and Ballet Companies has endeavored to bring ballet to everyone.  Anneliese von Oettingen was among the first to apply ballet methods to other athletes; working with pro football players, Olympic marathon runners, and ice skaters.  She was mentioned in Sports Illustrated for her efforts.  Anneliese believed ballet was movement used to tell a story, and began offering performances in many communities to share these stories. 

 Today the traditions of Anneliese’s teaching are carried on at AvO by Laura Hughes, artistic director; Conni Berns, Anneliese’s daughter; the instructors who have been trained by Laura and Conni; and the devoted students and parents that are part of the AvO family.  Generations of students have been trained at AvO with the same positive artistic education. Besides the school in the heart of Cheviot on Glenmore Avenue, AvO has extended its reach to Indiana at the Batesville school.  AvO continues to offer performances throughout the Tristate at libraries, retirement communities, and theaters.   

For information on upcoming performances or to learn about classes, visit AvO on the web at  www.avoballet.org

or call 513-481-0092.

Towns people are crossing the stage from left and right greeting each other, dancing, admiring each other’s coats & finery.  A lady crosses and the gentlemen tip hats & bow.  An important gentleman (The Mayor) holds attention of the townspeople as they greet and admire him.

The tailor rushes into the tailor shop, using key to open door, etc, The Mayor sees the Tailor and warmly greets him.  He orders a coat to be made for his wedding as the Tailor shows various fabric choices and takes careful measurements.  When the Mayor leaves to dance with the towns people, the Tailor uses his shears to cut the cloth.  He sits cross legged on the table.  After a time the Tailor closes up shop and goes back to his small home. 

Scene 2:  Simpkin and his tea cups

Simpkin appears from behind the table very mysterious, peeking under cups and in tea pots, looking very mischievous.  The Taylor gives Simpkin a pitcher (pipkin) and 4 coins to buy bread, milk, sausage, and twist.  Simpkin puts on his muffler and, shivering from the wind, leaves.

 Scene 3:  Playful Pizzicato: Mice are freed

The  tailor wants to sit on a small stool by the fire to warm himself.  He hears tapping.  He lifts a cup and looks shocked as he sees a lady mouse.   A gentleman mouse also appears.  The mice dance for joy, and listening in on the tailor, they make plans before scurrying away.

 Scene 4:  Simpkin in the Snow

     Wolcum Yole! (Anonymous 14^th century)

 Scene 5: The Tailor is Ill as Simpkin watches over

On the midwinter carol: one of the snowflakes returns for a solo.  Simpkin continues to pace…

Scene 6: Simpkin goes out Christmas Eve

1. Once in Royal David’s city A brief solo for a very elegant rooster!
2. Sussex Carol Rooster is joined by a Redbird
3. The Holly and the Ivy (English traditional carol) a lovely waltz for a blue jay, a fox, a cat and a frog
4. Instrumental Ding Dong Merrily on High 2 small brown bats, a squirrel, and a duck dance a lively jig
5. Joys Seven (… joy of 4) a fox is joined by a duck, a frog, and a blue jay
6. Three Ships: a lively hornpipe danced by a frog
7. As the bells toll once more, (Simpkin receives a surprise from an elegant white lady cat)

 Scene 7: Mice are Sewing Flowers and run out of twist!

 SPRING CAROL 

THERE IS NO ROSE (Anonymous 14th century)

Scene 8: Mice Renaissance

Tyger Tyger! Here the mice see Simpkin and dance taunting him as Simpkin angrily tries to get in the locked tailor shop.

Scene 9: Simpkin Reforms

Simpkin is angry at first, but thinks about the kindness the mice have done the tailor.  After the vocal adagio, Simpkin goes back to the tailor’s house.  He takes the twist out of the teapot and places it on the tailor’s bedside.  Simpkin then curls up as if sleeping next to the Tailor’s bed, completely repentant.

 Scene 10: Christmas Morning Finale and Bows