Troupe likes learning new things with French ballet

• By ROBIN MILLER
• Arts writer
• Published: Jul 5, 2009

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Imagine a toy shop where the toys don’t want to be adopted.

Leonide Massine and Ottorino Respighi did exactly that when their ballet La Boutique Fantasque debuted June 5, 1919, in London’s Alhambra Theatre.

Wow. That was exactly 90 years ago. And to think, nine decades later, Tri-Parish Ballet’s dancers are once again bringing The Magic Toy Shop to life.

That’s the English translation of the title of this French ballet. Massine was the choreographer and Respighi composed the music, basing it on piano pieces by Gioachina Rossini.

“But we’ve added something extra,” Wendy Bibby said. “We added some hip-hop, something the kids will be familiar with — something that will catch their attention.”

The kids to which Bibby refers are those who will make up the majority of the audiences when Tri-Parish Ballet hits the road beginning Tuesday, July 7, for its summer tour.

Bibby is the director of this group, which ranges in age from 7 to 18, all living in Livingston, Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes.

And they gather in the Odyssey Academy of Dance studio in Denham Springs on this particular Thursday evening, trying on costumes, mapping out parts.

“We still have a couple of weeks to rehearse,” Bibby said. “If we didn’t, I’d be in panic mode right now.”

But there really wouldn’t be any need. Sure, at this point, there’s still plenty of rehearsal time, but dancers know their parts. All that’s really needed is a bit of polishing.

“Oh, and a boy’s costume,” Bibby said. “The story here is really a love story between boy and girl can-can dancing dolls. One of the girls will be playing the boy.”

The story is set in late 19th century France. A world famous toymaker has created exquisite dancing dolls and placed them in his magic toy shop, dancing poodles, sleeping baby dolls, Russian dolls, Spanish dolls and even hip-hop dolls, among them.

All are happy until customers decide to separate the can-can dancers. The can-can dancers are the most sophisticated in the toymakers’ inventory. One customer decides to buy the boy doll; another wants to buy the girl.