Conquering your fears — whether it be stage fright or a fire-breathing dragon — is the name of the game this weekend for the Colorado Ballet Society.
The ballet school is presenting “There Might Be Dragons” on Saturday and Sunday at Falcon High School. The school’s primary division are performing the shows, featuring student dancers from 2 to 10 years old.
“It’s such a joy, dance students at this age, they’re so passionate, they love to dance and they love to perform for other people,” said Amy Schaefer, the school’s primary division manager.
The ballet tells the story of a page sent on a mission by a princess to deliver a present across an enchanted forest to another kingdom. The page, accompanied by a knight, must confront mythical creatures in the forest and overcome her fears as the knight helps teach her coping skills.
Near the end, the duo come face to face with a dragon — but all is not as it might seem.
“The dragon is actually much smaller than it first appeared, and not nearly as scary as we thought it might be, and she becomes friends with the dragon and they continue on their journey,” Schaefer said. “They end up successfully delivering the birthday gift and realizing that even though they’re scared they can do great things and they don’t have to give up.”
Working with the young students was a highlight for Schaefer.
“When we get to work with them at this age, they just smile so big. It’s so rewarding for us as teachers. We have to be well organized, have all of our ducks in a row to make sure that their experience is a really positive one because being onstage is very new for them,” she said. “We do our best to really support them and scaffold their training so that they’re very well prepared.”
With about 200 students spread among the four performances, Schaefer has been working on production for almost 18 months now — and she’s excited to see if come to fruition.
“I hope the audience has a deep appreciation for the value of dance in their children’s lives. Of course, we’re a little bit biased, but I think that the arts and dance in particular is such a benefit to young people,” she said. “They learn not only to physically train their body, but mental readiness, and then the social/emotional skills of perseverance. I hope this show inspires the audience to also have those skills in their life.”
