Alexandra Celebrating 25 Years of Educating, Elevating, and Enriching the Community through the Magic of Dance!

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PRESS RELEASE - October 27, 2008

Alexandra Ballet to Perform at Polonez Ball

The Polish American Cultural Society has requested Alexandra Ballet to perform at their annual Polonez Ball on November 8, 2007 at Sunset Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Alexandra Ballet will perform the Polish Suite and the Valse Variation from Les Sylphides. The proceeds from this annual event benefit The Polish American Cultural Society’s Arts and Education and Stan Musial Scholarship Funds.

The Polish Suite is a nostalgic collection of four historical folk dances of Poland, Polonez Chodzay, Kujawiak, Oberek and Krakowiak, with traditional Polish music and costumes. The piece was choreographed by Barbara Banasikowski Smith who performed professionally with the Milwaukee Ballet. She studied ballet at the Warsaw Ballet/Opera and Polish ethnic dances at the University of Maria Curie Sklodowski in Lublin, Poland. Ms. Smith is listed in Who’s Who of Polonia (France,1993), Who’s Who of Polish Americans (USA, 1996) and Who’s Who of Polonia Recent Polish Suite Performance at CLASSIC99’s Rhapsody In Bloom (Poland, 2000).

Alexandra Ballet’s First Company member, Makensie Howe, will perform the Valse Variation from Les Sylphides. The ballet was choreographed by and restaged by Marek Cholewa. The exquisite music brings together orchestrations of eight pieces for piano composed by Frederic . Alexandra Ballet is pleased to present this selection in honor of Frederic Chopin’s polish heritage.

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