With poignant lines such as “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye,” who couldn’t love The Little Prince? A French classic by Antoine de Saint Exupery, it has been translated into more than 160 languages and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, and I was excited to hear that the Washington Ballet was bringing their adaptation to the stage. With choreography by former New York City Ballet soloist Alexandre Proia and the Washington Ballet Studio Company, the production does not disappoint in bringing a beautiful story to life.
Performed in the intimate England Studio Theatre, the first part of the evening is a series of four dance vignettes, including the ballets Flower Festival in Genzano and Grand Pas Classique. In the first, Diana Albrecht exhibits great form and precisely delicate movements. But perhaps the best piece was a series of excerpts from Blue Until June, with music popularized by Etta James and choreographed by Trey McIntre. Before the piece, Webre noted the struggle in blues music, and how the struggle “is inherent in the triumph.” With great energy and passion, the six dancers most certainly conveyed this triumph. Giselle Alvarez had a stand-out performance, as she really captured the movements and expressions that one associates with the blues.
The second part of the evening brought The Little Prince, which tells the story of a little prince from outer space and his travels on Earth, complete with amusing characters, including a fox, a snake and a drunkard, whose encounters impart on us the true essence of life and what really matters. Just as in the book, the ballet is narrated by a jaded pilot who learned a lot from his friend the Little Prince. From the Washington School of Ballet, Gabe Hearn-Desautels plays the young royalty to a T. At certain parts in the show, he rotates out with a more grown-up version of the prince, played by Tyler Savoie. The movements of the evening explain the story well, and it really does seem like a real-life extension of the book. A particularly lovely moment came as Hearn-Desautels tended to the rose on his planet, spending so much of his love and energy, while the dance version went on to his left as Giselle Alvarez personified the beautiful rose.
The Little Prince also tells us, “[T]he eyes are blind. One must look with the heart,” and one can most certainly look with the eyes and feel with the heart in this ballet adaptation. In the end, The Little Prince is about the simple things in life that take on so much meaning. Proia’s interpretation and the Washington Ballet’s performance convey the simple complexity of the story, resulting in a beautiful show that makes a lasting impression. It may be a children’s story, and there are parts of the evening that are particularly kid-oriented — such bringing the kids in the audience on stage to quickly learn a few moves — the book reminds us clearly how kids are forever explaining the important things to grown-ups. The performance is an especially great way to introduce someone young to the art of ballet and dance.
Washington Ballet’s The Little Prince is playing at England Studio Theatre until February 25.
Image from The Washington Ballet’s web site
