DAVIE

Young dancers set to perform with live music

Working with musicians, the members of the Children's Ballet Theatre Project learned the importance of flexibility and collaboration.

BY BETH FEINSTEIN-BARTL

Special to The Miami Herald

When the Children's Ballet Theatre Project takes the stage next weekend, it will be to the strains of live piano and strings.

Instead of recordings, the troupe will be accompanied by local professional musicians in their spring program, Classical Interludes, set for Saturday and May 18 at the University Center for the Performing Arts in Davie.

Pairing the young dancers with live music is a first for the group, which is affiliated with the independently run school, said Vindhya Khare, the center's director.

''It creates a special tone to the entire experience,'' she said. ``This is a wonderful opportunity to bring live music and ballet to audiences.''

The production features 20 students, ages 7 to 19, performing solo and in small ensembles. Joining them will be Khare on piano, cellist Yue Tang, Richard Brookens on flute and clarinet, guitarist Curt Valenzuela and mezzo-soprano Kathleen Bushak.

The center, founded in 1979, occupies a 6,000-square-foot space in a warehouse district. The performance is at the school's 80-seat theater.

The resulting show will be very simple and beautiful, promised Damaris Ferrer of Davie, choreographer and artistic director of the Children's Ballet Theatre Project.

It's a bit sentimental, too. ''When I was growing up in New York, taking lessons, we always had live accompaniment,'' Ferrer said. ``There was always a pianist in class. But it's very rare that children today work with live music.''

Ferrer's daughter, Olivia Kim, 9, said working with musicians is far different from popping in a CD.

''It's more serious,'' said the youngster, a member of the troupe. ``This is a live person, not a boombox.''

The show is giving Olivia a double dose of fun, dancing to live music and performing one of the numbers with Ferrer.

Classical Interludes will be the mother-daughter duo's third time on stage together at the school.

''It's cool,'' Olivia said. ``She's very good.''

The troupe will dance traditional pieces set to classical works by such composers as Georges Bizet, Felix Mendelssohn and Edvard Grieg.

Claudine Carter-Pereira, a professional ballerina based in South Florida, also will perform a piece set to a composition by Claude Debussy.

The Children's Ballet Theatre Project has been based at the center for 10 years. Entry is by audition only.

The group stages two showcases yearly, in the fall and spring, said Khare, who also serves as president of the Paul L. Rodensky Foundation for the Arts.

The nonprofit group provides funding for arts-related programs at the University Center and other locations in Broward. Classical Interludes is a recipient of a foundation grant, issued through the Broward County Cultural Division, Khare said.

''Canned music seems to be the norm these days,'' Khare said. ``Most small dance companies don't have the luxury of performing to live music. This is unique.''

A week before showtime, the ballerinas and musicians were putting the finishing touches on their pieces. Tempos have to be stretched and choreography adjusted.

''It's been a true collaborative effort,'' Khare said.

University Center for the Performing Arts in Davie is at 2240 SW 70th Ave. Classical Interludes will be performed at 6 p.m. Saturday and at 2 and 4 p.m. May 18. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $9 for kids 12 and younger. Call 954-475-3000 or visit www.universitycenterforthe performingarts.com.