Christian dance troupe to do Holocaust ballet
Don’t worry, you aren’t nodding off, and no one needs to poke you in the ribs at Friday’s show hosted by the Ballet Society of Colorado Springs. You really are seeing ballerinas in Nazi uniforms.
This is “Hiding Place,” a dance drama presented by the professional troupe Ballet Magnificat, on tour from its Jackson, Miss., headquarters. The true story is adapted from the life of Corrie ten Boom and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in the 1940s.
Devout Christians, the ten Booms operated a stop on the Dutch underground railroad for Jews and others fleeing the Gestapo. An ingeniously concealed room in their home allowed those in transit to rest before moving on to safety — the hiding place of the title.
The ten Booms were eventually betrayed, arrested, and sent to concentrations camps. Corrie survived to write her autobiography “Hiding Place” (with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, 1971), which was made into a movie in 1975.
Ballet Magnificat’s presentation focuses on Corrie and her sister Betsie as they help their Jewish friends, are found out, and deported to the camp. There, amid privation and abuse, they inspire their fellow inmates with their Christian charity. A scene many years after the war — also based on truth — depicts the astonishing event that allows this story to be described as one of forgiveness.
“Hiding Place,” was choreographed by Czech-born Jiri Sebastian Voborsky, Ballet Magnificat’s resident choreographer. Erin Beaver, Magnificat’s tour director, says that “Voborsky has pushed the envelope of classical ballet in ‘Hiding Place’ by incorporating more stylized elements.”
The music is an eclectic blend of Christian, classical and contemporary.
Ballet Magnificat is unabashedly a Christian organization, and the two-hour show is followed by an “addendum” that explicitly dissects the Christian themes in the show. What separates Ballet Magnificat from other Christian arts organizations, Beaver says, in its level of professionalism. Indeed, the promotional trailer to “Hiding Place” shows some breath-stoppingly beautiful moves.
The Holocaust has become a forge of inspiration for artists depicting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable cruelty. “Hiding Place” comes on the heels of “Bent,” last month’s offering by Upstart Theater, which depicted the suffering of homosexuals under the Nazis.
DETAILS
Ballet Society of the Springs presents Ballet Magnificat’s “Hiding Place”
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Rocky Mountain Calvary Church, 4285 North Academy Boulevard
Admission: $11, $7 for children 12 and under; 272-7078, reservations available at info@danceinthesprings.com
More information: danceinthesprings.com
MASTER CLASS
Ballet Magnificat, the Jackson, MS based Christian Dance Company (balletmagnificat.com) presents Ballet Master Classes: Three for intermediate students and three for advanced students
Where: Ballet Society of Colorado Springs Studios, 4005 Lee Vance View, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
When: 3:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursday
Cost: $20 for 1 class, $36 for two, and $45 for 3; 272-7078 or info@danceinthesprings.com
