For its Second in the 2024 Trilogy, Little Women Ballet will present five unique site-specific, Immersive performances between September 27 – 29 at the Heritage Square Museum Los Angeles. Whether or not you are a fan of Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved novel “Little Women”, you will enjoy experiencing and mingling with the characters of this treasured work as they come alive amongst the grounds and historic manors of Heritage Square. The performances are on September 27th @ 6:30 PM, 28th & 29th @ 3 PM & 6:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now.
To add to this exciting immersive experience, when guests arrive at the performance they will be handed a complimentary Autumn-themed bag containing items to be used throughout the event. These include a colored ribbon indicating which route the guests should follow, along with tokens for complimentary beverages and desserts. At the end of the performance guests will be invited to join the cast members in Victorian Folk dancing and to pose with them for photos.
Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company.
Little Women Ballet was founded in 2023 by Director/Choreographer Emma Andres. In order to learn more about what inspired them to create such an immersive event, I sent Ms. Andres several questions via email. Here are her responses.
Q. What was the genius for creating Little Women Ballet?
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we found ourselves inspired to captivate audiences with a unique blend of classic literature and the art of dance. Little Women, a beloved literary masterpiece, serves as a significant influence. The circumstances created by the pandemic provided us with the perfect opportunity to delve into the conceptualization and creation of this innovative visual storytelling.
Q. For readers who have never seen your work, how do you combine “heartwarming life lessons with progressive ideas about women’s roles in 19th century America.
The goal was to create more realistic and powerful women’s roles in ballet. Literature served as a great starting point for developing storylines with purpose and entertainment value. The aim was to combine storytelling, ballet, and dance as nonverbal communication, integrating narration and narrators with the dance sections to create an immersive experience that involved direction and acting from all participants.
Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company.
Q. Why did you choose the Historic Manors of Heritage Square, and what are its challenges?
One of the goals of this project was to develop the ballet in an authentic Victorian way. While the houses in Heritage Square are from a different location than where Little Women took place, their Victorian charm and delicate details make it the perfect place to showcase the story. Additionally, the setup of Heritage Square is very different from the typical venues for dance, especially ballet. However, this uniqueness makes it a special experience. No one would expect an immersive tour where the dancers are very close to the audience, dancing on carpets and hardwood floors, navigating around antique furniture. It is a completely unique experience.
These challenges have made our dancers stronger and more versatile in new situations. Our project is adaptable, and our dancers are performing on all kinds of surfaces. Working in different performance spaces has helped our dancers grow.
This second in the 2024 trilogy includes over 20 dedicated and professional ballet dance artists ranging in age from 10 to 75. The costumes will include historically accurate costumes costumes and the dancers will perform to music composed by music educator, composer, orchestrator, and classic film music reconstructionist Daniel Robbins.
Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company.
Q. Speak about the music and costumes.
We use costumes from various sources, such as Little Women Ballet, Pasadena Civic Ballet, and ArtistsPlus Productions. Additionally, we feature original designs from Theatre Threads Costume Company. We aim to ensure that the costumes are appropriate for the time period and suitable for dancing.
We also incorporate classical and Victorian music from the era. For the Little Women ballet, we combine live music with our recorded tracks. At the venues, some sections are performed to live music including violin, cello, and piano.
Andres said that in 2021 a condensed version of the Little Women story was presented at Pasadena Civic Ballet. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and for everyone’s safety, the performance took place on an outdoor stage.
Q. Will Little Women Ballet perform this work in a more traditional venue?
The first full-length ballet on a proscenium stage will take place at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on December 7th, 2024. As part of the full-length performances at Wilshire Ebell, we will also include an educational outreach program for over 1,000 students in the Los Angeles area. Education is one of the cornerstones of this production and provides a unique opportunity to engage audiences with classic literature through dance.
Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company.
Q. Will that alter the work?
The stage version of the show follows a more traditional ballet format, with performers and the audience separated by distance in the typical stage/house setup. It features longer dance sections, larger and more technically advanced stages, and bigger audiences.
The immersive show offers a more intimate and historically accurate experience for a smaller audience, allowing them to interact with the narrators, dance with the performers, and explore historical sites in depth. Both formats provide beautiful opportunities for creating “Little Women” as a ballet/dance experience.
Again, Little Women Ballet returns with an Autumn site-specific immersive experience, the second in the Trilogy, for three performances at the Heritage Square Museum Friday, September 27 through Sunday, September 29, 2024. On Saturday and Sunday, there are performances at 3 PM and 6:30 PM, on Friday, one performance at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $60 (plus $4 service fee). The Heritage Square Museum is located at 3800 Homer Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Little Women Ballet website or call (626) 792-0873.
NOTE: The third and final Little Women Ballet site-specific immersive experience in the trilogy will take place between November 22-24 at the Heritage Square Museum with a new seasonal theme and new parts of the novel.
Autumn Immersive Experience: Sept 27th at 6:30 PM and Sept 28th & 29th at 3 PM and 6:30 PM.
Winter Immersive Experience: Nov 22nd at 6:30 PM and Nov 23rd & 24th at 3 PM and 6:30 PM.
Full-length ballet: December 7th at 2:30 and 7 PM.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company.
