Ballet Taos is thrilled to present ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ on May 16 – 18, 2025 at the Taos Center for the Arts Community Auditorium (TCA). Featuring professional company dancers and select students, the production is among a series of full-length classical and contemporary ballets the company has presented over the past eight seasons. Ballet Taos is excited to introduce to our community a classical ballet favorite!

 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beautiful musical score, re-choreographed by Ballet Taos Artistic Director, Megan Yackovich (after Marius Petipa), will appeal to audiences of all ages. Lilac Fairy takes us on a quest to save Princess Aurora and her kingdom from Carabosse’s jealous rage. The captivating storyline enchants audiences throughout and ends with a celebration of the “happily ever after”.

Ballet Taos welcomes back professional guest artist William Wisneskey from Grand Rapids Ballet as Prince Désire. This will be Will’s 6th guesting with Ballet Taos. We’re elated to have him home, performing and mentoring our students. We also celebrate, Willow Bowman dancing Princess Aurora. Born and raised in Carson, driving endless hours to pursue her passion, Willow boasts an amazing resume as a Company Soloist with Ballet Taos. She has attended elite summer programs at Nutmeg Conservatory and International Youth Ballet of Denver and has received recognition and high merit at the Youth America Grand Prix and Universal Ballet Competitions. Her leading roles with Ballet Taos to date; Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy in our annual Nutcrackers, the Snow Maiden in ‘The Snow Maiden’, Alice in ‘The Adventures of Alice’, and Cinderella in ‘Cendrillon’ as well as leading roles in many of our contemporary works. The demanding role of Lilac Fairy will be danced by Isabel Berry, also a Soloist with Ballet Taos. Upon graduation from Ballet Taos, Isabel has served as a rehearsal director and faculty member for our Young Dancers Division. Most current leading roles are as follows; Snow Queen and Dew Drop in our annual Nutcracker productions, Winter Fairy in ‘Cendrillon’, Summer Movement in ‘The Snow Maiden’, and many solos/pas de deux works choreographed specifically for her by Mr. Soto.

Ballet Taos is excited to add ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ reimagined, to our extensive list of full-length classical and contemporary productions. This ballet is both technically and artistically challenging. It is a staple for our aspiring dancers to master and perform as part of their essential classical repertoire. At Ballet Taos every performance includes professional guest artists and professional company dancers alongside our students from the Academy (BTII). A huge part of our mission is to offer professional experiences to our young artists and inspire the next generation of dance in northern New Mexico. As a student of our program, we believe strongly that performing arts are necessary to understand the human experience. Whether you choose to pursue dance as a profession or not, a forever love of the performing arts is instilled and grows audiences for years to come.

To date, our classical repertoire includes ‘A Retro Nutcracker’, ‘The New Mexico Nutcracker’, ‘The Snow Maiden’, ‘Cendrillon’, ‘The Adventures of Alice’, ‘Les Sylphides’, ‘La Bête et La Belle’, ‘La Fille Mal Gardée’, and ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Our collaborative contemporary works include ‘Mechanical Nature: Movement VII’, ‘Blueshift’, ‘The Chopin Project’, ‘Atomic Split’, and most recently, ‘Oneiromancy’ and ‘Jock Does Bach’. The latter highlighting more of Mr. Jock Soto’s new innovative works performed this past March. Mr. Soto joins us from New York City Ballet and is one of the most celebrated Principal Dancers and Faculty Members of City Ballet with a career traveling the world and spanning over 30 years. His work with our students and professionals is invaluable! We are grateful for every moment. Stay tuned for Mr. Soto’s upcoming projects with Ballet Taos Summer Company Project, performances July 30, and August 1-2, 2025 as well as our summer programming.