MIDDLETOWN >> Hartford-based Albano Ballet Company, known in Connecticut for "Albano's Nutcracker," recently performed for students at Bielefield Elementary School in Middletown and at South Elementary School in New Britain.
The one-hour program "Dance the Language of Movement" brought ballet director and choreographer Joseph Albano and his troupe of trained professionals in an interactive visual lecture demonstration and performance.
Correlating dance an affective learning process in a cognitive educational structure is what the program is all about. The performing art of dance and ballet seems natural in this context as Albano narrated the demonstration linking the locomotive steps as its vocabulary to writing sentences.
The youngsters, from kindergarten to fourth grade, wrote sentences calling out the dance moves on the dancers.
Once instructed in what to look for, Albano's troupe performed the Strauss "Waltz Ballet," followed by "Nutcracker" variations to the music of Tchaikovsky, the "Americana Ballet" to music by Connecticut composer Charles Ives concluding with an excerpt from the movie musical "An American in Paris" to the music of Gershwin.
"It was delightful to see the many attentive eyes that were mesmerized by the Albano Dance the Language presentation," Albano said in a statement. "Enthusiastic, the children resounded their approval that the thunderous applause attesting to the quality and intention of the educational experience."
The Albano Ballet's educational programs are sponsored by the Mohegan Tribe.