North Dakota Ballet Company to present ‘The Little Mermaid’

GRAND FORKS – The North Dakota Ballet Company will perform “The Little Mermaid” at 7 p.m. Friday, March 22, and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at the Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks.

Sydney Rud plays the role of “The Little Mermaid” and Jocelyn Jacobson and Lindsey Anderson are the “Mermaid Sisters,” said Laura Arneson, executive director of the North Dakota Ballet Company and Academy.

At this show, presented in partnership with the Myra Foundation, the audience is invited to experience the magic of life under the sea,” Arneson said, “and journey to the surface in search of love with the Little Mermaid in this one-of-a-kind performance … ”

The production features dancers from the Youth Ballet Company along with guest performers from the pre-professional division, Arneson said. The Youth Ballet is for dancers interested in training in classical ballet and taking part in additional community-wide ballet productions.

Sydney Rud, a senior at Grand Forks Central High School, said playing the role of The Little Mermaid has been “a joy”.

“My favorite part of any role is to find the character’s personality,” Rud said. "The Little Mermaid is kind, sweet, selfless and a little mischievous. Most of all, she is curious. It has been so fun trying to incorporate all of these different elements into my character.

“Performing has always been my favorite part of any show,” because she can show and share her love of ballet with others.

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She is “so excited” to show the results of “all the hard and dedication we have put into this show,” Rud said.

“This has been such a fun and unique show to work on,” said Lauren Paulson, the company’s artistic director. “It isn’t often that we get to set a ballet that takes place under the sea. It has been an incredibly fun challenge” in terms of the costumes, the sets and the choreography.

The program is supported in part by a grant from the city of Grand Forks through the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region, and by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which received funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets, ranging from $18.75 to $22.25, including fees, are available through the Empire Arts Center Box Office. Call (701) 746-5500 or visit www.empireartscenter.com , click on “events” and then “calendar”.