The Augusta Ballet is approaching its fortieth year of existence, bringing dance to the Central Savannah River Area in the state of Georgia. I attended the last program of the 2000-2001 season, entitled 'Song and Dance at the Movies', and performed at the Imperial Theatre. It was an enjoyable presentation, even though the overall caliber doesn't compare with the quality of British dance I witnessed during my years in England.

The program was very light-hearted in concept, as designed by Edward Bradberry and Augusta Ballet artistic director Zanne Colton. Act I consisted of a dance adaptation of key moments of the Tennessee Williams play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' combined with projections of those same moments from the famous film version. The most effective choreography was for the card game sequence, but overall the choreography was undistinguished so it was a bit difficult to identify each of the four main characters (but possible by watching the movie projections). The same can be said of Act III, which consisted of excerpts from 'West Side Story', but to be fair, Jerome Robbins' choreography for this cannot be surpassed. Guest singers and Augusta Opera members performed songs from the musical on stage, so it was truly a multi-media and Augusta-wide cultural evening.

It seems the Ballet Company has quite a following in the area. Their 2001-2002 season will include revivals of 'Dracula' and 'The Legend of the Hatfields and the McCoys' as well as the holiday favorite 'The Nutcracker". The company website can be found at www.augustaballet.com