ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: Prokofiev’s ‘Cinderella’ tour makes stops in Arkansas

Los Angeles-based World Ballet Series is taking its production of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” on a 130-city tour that includes three stops in or along the border of Arkansas. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Los Angeles-based World Ballet Series is taking its production of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” on a 130-city tour that includes three stops in or along the border of Arkansas. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts this weekend:

DANCE: Touring 'Cinderella'

Los Angeles-based World Ballet Series' 130-city tour of Sergei Prokofiev's "Cinderella" makes three Arkansas/Arkansas border stops:

  • ◼️ 7 p.m. today at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center, 55 S. Seventh St., Fort Smith. Tickets are $31.50-$91.50.
  • ◼️ 7 p.m. Friday in the John Thomas Theatre at the Sullivan Performing Arts Center, 3941 Summerhill Road Texarkana, Texas. Tickets are $55-$89.
  • ◼️ 7 p.m. April 11 at Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway, Little Rock. Tickets are $35-$100. Visit Ticketmaster.com.

The production features original choreography by Estonia's Marina Kesler set in a multinational cast of 40 professional dancers from 10 countries, including Italy, France, Poland, Japan, Belarus and the United Kingdom, in more than 150 costumes that were hand-sewn in Ukraine.

Principal dancer Ekaterina Malkovich dances the title role, with, as Prince Charming, Leonardo Celegato (in some cities, Konstantin Geronik). Angelina Zgurskaya dances the role of Cinderella's stepmother with Ekaterina Lukianova and Ayzhamal Abdrakhmanova as her stepsisters.

Visit worldballetseries.com.

Silver 'Riverdance'

The 25th anniversary production of the Irish and international dance show "Riverdance" will be onstage at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Little Rock's Robinson Center. Producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan "have completely reimagined the ground-breaking show with innovative and spectacular lighting, video, stage and costume designs," according to a news release, and composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded the soundtrack. Tickets are $24-$73. Call (501) 244-8800 or visit CelebrityAttractions.com or Ticketmaster.com.

  photo  Husband-and-wife piano duo Naoki Hakutani and Jaeyeon Park offer a concert titled "Symphonic Piano," on Saturday at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)  MUSIC: Piano duo

Husband-and-wife piano duo Naoki Hakutani and Jaeyeon Park, faculty members at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, perform a concert titled "Symphonic Piano," 3 p.m. Saturday in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Building, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. The program will include two of Antonin Dvorak's "Slavonic Dances" — in e minor (op. 72, No. 3) and g minor (op. 46, No. 8); three movements — "Germany," "Spain" and "Hungary" — from Moritz Moszkowski's "From Foreign Lands," op.23; George Gershwin's "Variations on 'I Got Rhythm'"; and Francis Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos. Admission is free. Call (501) 916-3291.

ART: 'Women to Watch'

"Arkansas Women to Watch 2023: New Worlds," part of the National Museum of Women in the Arts' Women to Watch exhibition series, opens with a 5-7 p.m. reception today in the Merkle Gallery at the South Arkansas Arts Center, 110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado. The exhibit includes works by four Arkansas artists — Anais Dasse, Hannah McBroom, Aimee Papazian and Heidi Carlson-Rogers. It remains up through April 27. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission is free. Call (870) 862-5471 or visit saac-arts.org.

ETC.: Cherry Blossom Fest

The Hot Springs Sister City Program hosts the Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival, 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday at Bank OZK Arena, in the Hot Springs Convention Center, 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. Taiko drum group Dallas Kiyari Daiko, which has been performing traditional Japanese drumming, also known as "Taiko" or "Wadaiko," in the Metroplex since 1992, has joined to the lineup. Arkansas Tech University instructor Kae Hashimoto Reed will also play and demonstrate taiko.

Other festival highlights include cultural demonstrations, performances, exhibits and a variety of traditional Japanese carnival games. Prizes for the inaugural Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Competition will be awarded with winners invited to read their haiku. An anime costume contest is planned in partnership with the Garland County Library.

The festival also includes lectures and workshops on Japanese flower arrangement, called ikebana; a Reed-lede anime workshop; and a sake class, with a tasting opportunity, led by the sake professionals at Origami Sake.

Admission is free; there are fees for some of the workshops. Visit ARCherryBlossom.org.

Competition finals

The Arkansas Arts Council hosts the state finals of the inaugural Arts Across Arkansas, showcasing "the talent, mastery and skill of young creatives statewide," according to a news release, noon Saturday at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. Admission is free; refreshments will be served. The pilot program is "designed to encourage, enhance and expand high school students' original thoughts, processes, personal experiences and artistic abilities," according to the release. Teachers across the state nominated more than 100 students in six artistic areas: dance choreography, film, literary arts, music composition, photography and visual arts. Student winners will earn a cash prize of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third in each category. A complete list of participants is available at arkansasarts.org.

Comedy Pet Theater

Comedian-juggler Gregory Popovich brings more than 25 rescued pets for his Las Vegas-based Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, onstage at 7 p.m. Friday at the Forum Theater, 115 E. Monroe Ave., Jonesboro. Tickets are $30, $15 for senior citizens and children 3-12. Visit tinyurl.com/3b7fyjhk.

TICKETS: 'My Fair Lady'

Tickets — $37-$93 — go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday for Lincoln Center Theater's touring production of Lerner & Loewe's "My Fair Lady," under the aegis of Celebrity Attractions, 7:30 p.m. May 19, 2 and 7:30 p.m. May 20 and 1 p.m. May 21 at Little Rock's Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. Call (501) 244-8800 or visit CelebrityAttractions.com or Ticketmaster.com.

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