Courtesy of Farm to Ballet
Farm to Ballet, a dance project intended to celebrate Vermont’s farming culture while expanding classical ballet’s audience, continues its season in Central Vermont this week.
Aug. 6-7—WOODSTOCK, POULTNEY—Farm to Ballet returns to Central Vermont in two 75-minute performances on Saturday, Aug. 6 and Sunday, Aug. 7, both at 6:30 p.m. Grab your blanket, picnic basket, and the entire family to experience Farm to Ballet, a completely unique performance project celebrating Vermont agriculture.
On Saturday, Aug. 6, the Billings Farm & Museum hosts a full-length performance at 6:30 p.m., rain or shine. The colorful program reinterprets classical ballet pieces to tell the story of three seasons on a Vermont farm, accompanied by a live string sextet playing the music of Antonio Vivaldi. General admission is $15, plus an optional donation. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a ticket. For tickets call 802-437-2355 or visit billingsfarm.org.
Billings Farm & Museum doors open at 5:30 p.m. for exploring the operating dairy farm. Pack a picnic or snack on a Billings Farm Picnic, which includes the farm’s own 100 percent raw milk cheddar cheese made from milk produced exclusively from the Billings Jersey herd, crackers, and fresh fruit. Beverages and Vermont-made ice cream will be available at the dairy bar as will Billings Farm’s prizewinning cheddar cheese . Proceeds will support the farm’s educational programming.
The next day, Sunday, Aug. 7, the Farm to Ballet Project moves to Green Mountain College’s on-campus Cerridwen Farm. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the performance begins at 6:30.
Ana’s Empanadas of Chittenden and Jersey Girls Dairy of Chester will offer locally made empanadas, quiche, grilled sausages and salad for purchase before the show.
Seventy-five percent of ticket sales at Cerridwen Farm directly support the community-based work of Rutland Area Food and Farm Link (RAFFL).Tickets are $16.50, with the option for an additional donation. Children 16 and under are admitted for free with a ticket. Tickets are available at flynntix.org or at the door.
This year, Farm to Ballet staged eight performances throughout Vermont, building upon the success of its 2015 performance season. What started as an unlikely idea of a ballet performance based around food has grown into a project receiving national attention, with sponsorship from PBS and Green Mountain Performing Arts. The artistic director, Chatch Pregger, was recently interviewed on “The Barretender,” a podcast that is part of the national online community “The Dance Network.”
Reflecting back on the start of the project, Chatch was “thrilled to discover the joy of bringing new audiences onto the farms to experience the art of dance.” In planning the performance, he spoke with a lot of farmers, infusing the choreography with their insights and perspectives to truly showcase the richness of the agricultural landscape in Vermont, and the unique stories of each vegetable and animal on a farm. Increasing the awareness of our local farms and sharing their stories is a key mutual value between the project and the work of RAFFL, who works to build connections that grow a strong agricultural economy and healthy community. Visit farmtoballet.org.
