Westside Ballet Spring Performances to Feature Palisades Dancers

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Westside Ballet of Santa Monica is gearing up to present “Masters of Movement,” its 50th anniversary spring performances—featuring Pacific Palisades dancers—and tribute to the legacy of dance and visionaries.

“This year’s ‘Masters of Movement’ series will feature a special homage to the legendary ballerina Patricia Neary, showcasing the iconic works she brought to life with the New York City Ballet,” according to a press release. “The historic Gala event will feature appearances by ballet luminaries, including the legendary Patricia Neary, and showcase performances by stars from the American Ballet Theatre.”

The spring event will be spread across two programs, “each a testament to the choreographers and dancers who transform music into visual poetry,” according to the press release.

On Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, the “Masters of Movement” Spring Showcases will present a curated celebration of Westside Ballet’s history, present and future at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

American Ballet Theatre principal dancers Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside will be performing the “Black Swan” pas de deux by Marius Petipa.

In ballet, a pas de deux is a dance duet in which two dancers perform ballet steps together.

“The pas de deux is so much more than a love dance. It is the coming together of two people who carry with them all kinds of intense emotions, including love, grief, fear, deceit, joy and longing,” the press release continued. “Westside Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Spring Gala is a confluence of the world’s finest examples of the continuity, but absence of uniformity, in the art of pas de deux.”

Guest artists Andrea Laššáková and Adrian Blake Mitchell will present excerpts from George Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco, Who Cares?” and the contemporary piece “Agon,” set to Igor Stravinsky’s “evocative” score. Palisadian alumni Lucia Connolly and Lyrica Woodruff can also be seen performing.

Pacific Palisades residents and students will also dance in the performance season, including Mila Bakhshandehpour, Addison Russell, Elise Dufour, Olivia Yu, Lyla Brugger, Laurel O’Donnell, Valentina Finci, Carlin McCaffrey, Imogen Marble, Inès Macpherson, Zoya Abyzov, Izzy Heidt and Ava Bakhshandehpour.

The showcases will culminate with an event on May 18 at 5 p.m., honoring the career of Neary with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit westsideballet.com/springtix.