...Of Cities Classical Dance Ensemble's production Ballet Amore in the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival
"Artistic, almost flawless dance and soothing musical interlude. A brilliant production."*
~Kenneth Hanf
"Fantastic show with so much variety in each piece keeps it exciting and refreshing. Talented dancers who are obviously passionate about what they are doing and share that passion with the audience. I hope to see what the Cities' Classical Dance Ensemble comes up with next. Go see this show."*
~Barbara Torkelson
"A perfect combination of pieces - classical, beautiful costumes and dance, plus a perfectly-executed piece by very young dancers. This is classical ballet at its best. You will not be disappointed if you like ballet at all - even if you don't! I'd like to see it twice if there weren't so many show still to see..."*
~Suzanne Sharrock
"It's a particularly good ballet primer for Fringers who might not see much live dance."*
~Florence Brammer
"Lovely classical dance combined with jazz, ballroom dance and live music. Highly professional and a very lovely program. I look forward to seeing this troupe again!"*
~Nanette Stearns
"A wonderful production-captivating from start to finish. An ever-changing variety and contrast of styles, attitudes, moods and emotions are offered via seven ambitious pieces. Join the dancers in feeling playful, fragile, daring, delicate, pensive, jaunty, sassy, sexy, thougthful, sweet, strong, proud, bold, doubt, struggle and surrender. The closing number, "I Find No Peace" was particularly powerful and beautifully executed - on par w/ any production I've seen. Thoroughly entertaining, powerful and inspiring. Thank you Ballet Amore!"*
~Kathy Hart
"I loved this show from the classic tutu dancing at the top to the vibrant Prometheus to the live viola and cello to the cute kid dance to the stunning athleticism of the Tucker and Smirnov duet. The talent throughout the cast is outstanding, and so is their show!"*
~Patrick Pfundstein
"This show was a delight. Makes me want to explore more dance performance in the future. There's much talent in the Twin Cities. The show blends classical, modern and contemporary dance and music in a refreshing production. Being a jazz enthusiast, I was especially drawn to the jazz pieces, not ever having seen ballet to well known jazz tunes like Such Sweet Thunder by Duke Ellington among others. Kudos to the dancers, creator Katherine Krieser and choreographer Colleen Tague!"*
~Craig LindyHop
"This company should make a welcome addition to the Twin Cities dance scene. The musical choices were superb and the youngsters' dance was particularly lovely. Recommended."*
~Richard Jackson
"Was not expecting the quality to be this high. I want to single out the theater tech for this show - the lighting was super effective. Live music on some numbers was an added bonus. Loved the Tango performed on point. And the "heartbeat" beginning to the solo tango was very cool. Just too many numbers to pick a favorite, but the four junior ballerinas were nothing short of adorable (and talented, of course). Don't miss this one!"
~Clark Bremer
"What a sheer delight this was to take in."*
~Liz Blank
"...an ably executed crowdpleaser"**
~Lightsey Darst
"This Fringe performance begins with a rather formal tutu and pointe-shoe dance to a mix of live viola and recorded piano. It’s very nice. And then comes the departure from hardass classicism.. There is a bravura male solo tango piece by - that will knock your socks off with its virtuosity, its understanding of the concept and its downright stage presence. There’s a theater-dance piece by former American Ballet Theater dancer Ron Tice that presents the myth of Prometheus in a kind of frightening Wall Street setting. There’s excellent live cellist and violist music to cover a costume change. There’s a Bourbon Street flavored jazzdance bouquet (They do jazz very well. It doesn’t look like ballet steps set to jazz music.) There’s a delicious evocation of Jacques Brel. There’s a closing piece that is, in fact, late 20 century contemporary ballet, thoughtful, skillful, but human rather than princes and princesses. Next to last came a presentation of four girls, probably aged about nine or ten, who did two segments from a famous classic 19 century ballet. CCDE offers this item as a statement that children (like everyone else) should dance, that many of the cast are teachers and these are their students, and that dance should be as disciplined as necessary, which is considerable, but it should never squash the individual creative spirit. These four young ladies were totally committed to what they did, they did their work with astonishing accomplishment, they radiated joy and confidence in their performance, and they brought down the house the night I saw it."***
~John Munger
