Perhaps one of the most unsung ballet companies in Minnesota is the Bloomington-based Continental Ballet Company. Founded in 1988 by Riet Velthuisen, who danced with the Dutch National Ballet, the company usually produces and performs full-length story ballets. But this spring’s program, titled “Ballet Bouquet,” showcases the troupe in a variety of works from the classical ballet repertoire.
The program includes the one-act “Les Sylphides” (not to be confused with the full-length “La Sylphide” choreographed by Taglioni). The work, choreographed by Fokine and set to music by Chopin, is set in a moonlit park where magical creatures (the sylphs) dance with a poet in a series of eight short sections.
The waltz, Hungarian dance and Spanish dance from “Swan Lake” are also on the program. From “Le Corsaire,” the troupe performs a pas de deux, excerpts from “Paquita” and “Rodeo.”
7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. 98th St., Bloomington. $12-$24. 952-563-8562.
