Alex Trum & Payton Beson
Lisa Crabtree & Helen Bradshaw
Sabrina McLaughlin
The Orchestra with Todd Eric Allen
VIP Destin at Mattie Kelly Arts
NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Ballet
VIP PARTY
Denise Song & Lorraine Whetstone
photos & story by
Zhalman Harris
Dorothy Daniels Lister, Linda Watson, Terry Prewitt & Abe Watson
T
he Northwest Florida Ballet
(NFB) had an opening night
with a bang. On April 1 the
Mattie Kelly Arts Center
came to life once again with a series of
performances from local, regional and
international dancers. NFB principal guest
artists Caitlin Valentine-Ellis and Andres
Estevez from Ballet Met in Columbus,
Ohio, International Guest Raul Peinado
and NFB’s own Brooklyn Burbidge, Keegan
Lloyd and Jeffrey Senior performed with
others from the NFB ballet company.
Opening night of the production ended
with a VIP reception immediately following
the performance. Dancers, musicians,
crew and NFB’s special guests enjoyed an
assortment of Cajun inspired menu items
generously provided by Ernie’s Dockside
Café. Emerald Coast Magazine, Courtyard
Marriott in Grand Boulevard, a Howard
Group Development and the Florida
Division of Cultural Affairs, sponsored
From Russia With Love: A Celebration of
the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
The Northwest Florida Ballet celebrates
its 47th year as a regionally recognized
semi professional ballet company and
school. In addition, NFB has developed
the nationallyAcclaimed Académie–an
integrated academic and dance education
program serving 156 students from the
third to eighth grade. In 2012 the NFB
introduced the Pre- Professional Program
an intensive dance program for the 9th to
12th grade students preparing for a career in
dance. The NFB is led by Artistic Director
and CEO Todd Eric Allen, an area native.
The NFB is funded in part by the Florida
Division of Cultural Affairs.
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