Dance Adelphi: Play Ball! from April 18 - 22

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - April 9, 2018 - PRLog -- Players pirouette, catchers chasse, and umpires arabesque in Play Ball!, Christopher Fleming's comedic ballet imagining an exhibition game between the 1940s Adelphi Bulls and their pioneering female counterparts, the Garden City Dolls. Fusing baseball and ballet in a delightful display of dance, Play Ball! is a fun and unusual way for everyone to celebrate these early days of baseball season. The Dance Adelphi production runsfrom April 18-22 in the Olmsted Theatre in the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave, Garden City, New York.

The comic ballet is divided into nine "innings" set to familiar classical melodies from "Carmen," "Swan Lake" and other classics demonstrating the excitement of a pitch, the suspense of stealing bases, and more. In setting out to tell an American story through ballet, Play Ball! pays homage to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s, when women were recruited to take up America's national pastime as the male players were drafted for World War II.

Choreographer Christopher Fleming nurtured a childhood affection for baseball, and his search for an American story to tell through ballet brought the two together – especially as he noticed the ballet-like moves that so many baseball players naturally perform during a game. The release of the movie A League of Their Own helped shape the ballet's narrative and overcome the challenge of telling what is often a male-dominated story through a female-dominated medium.

Play Ball! was co-commissioned by the Dayton Ballet and the Ohio Ballet and premiered in Dayton in 2000. Excerpts have been performed at the Republican National Convention and the Philly Pops gala honoring the 20^th anniversary of the Phillies' World Series win.

As a member of the New York City Ballet, Christopher Fleming danced principal roles and headed a group of soloists and principals which toured Europe with his choreography. Mr. Fleming has choreographed a variety of works appearing in the repertoire of a number of different companies. Included are traditional full-length works such as The Nutcracker (four different productions) and Romeo And Juliet (on three different companies) as well as original full-length works Gaspar and Dracula. His work has been performed Off-Broadway, around the United States and internationally. In 2010 Mr. Fleming founded the company BalletFleming, which made its debut with the critically acclaimed The Myth and the Madness of Edgar Allen Poe. BalletFleming's repertoire has expanded to include numerous works by Mr. Fleming and has performed around the United States.

The program will also include ballet and modern pieces by Frank Augustyn, Orion Duckstein and Adelheid B. Strelick. See a short trailer for Dance Adelphi here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gMi7G51xN0&feature=y...



The Adelphi PAC is one of Long Island's premier cultural arts venues for entertainment of all kinds. Tickets are currently on sale for $25 with discounts available to seniors, students and alumni. Information is available online at pac.adelphi.edu or at the Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at 516.877.4000 or boxoffice@adelphi.edu. Regular box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1:00-6:00 p.m. The box office is also open two hours before most scheduled performances.

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning.

Adelphi University is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university offering exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with particular strength in its Core Four—Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness. Adelphi is dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support student success.

Founded in Brooklyn in 1896, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. Today Adelphi serves over 7,900 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York—just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities—and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, and online.

More than 100,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, caring citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world beyond.