![\"Avant](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/The-Nutcracker-with-Live-Orchestra-Photo-Credit-Jordan-Fraker-Dancer-Jessica-Zavala.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAvant Chamber Ballet (ACB) has something for audiences of all ages. The Dallas-based ballet company is expanding its programming for its 2025-2026, adding a new series of family-friendly productions. ACB\u2019s 13th season includes two distinct subscription series: The Classic Series and The Family Series. All performances of the season will be at the Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District.<\/p>\n
Reaching out to young audiences has become a priority for ACB.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s really important to take children to see the performing arts for their imagination and creativity but it’s not easy to afford for a whole family to go. We wanted to do this series so taking your family to the theater is about the same cost as going to the movies,\u201d said Katie Puder, ACB\u2019s Artistic Director.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Expanding the season is a big challenge for the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s close to producing twice the shows this season! It’s a huge step up for us, but we are growing a lot this year behind the\u00a0scenes with new artistic\u00a0staff and moving into a new studio that will let us have multiple rehearsals happening at the same time,\u201d Puder said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tJordan Fraker<\/p>\n
\t\t\tJordan Fraker<\/p>\n
The season begins with The Nutcracker with Live Orchestra in December. Dancer featured is Jessica Zavala.<\/p>\n
The season will begin in December with the holiday favorite that inspired the new subscription series.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast season we introduced Nutcracker: Short & Suite at Moody Performance Hall and it was a huge success. We got so much good feedback from families asking if we were doing this during\u00a0the rest of the year. It was a direct response\u00a0to demand from our audience and community,\u201d Puder said.<\/p>\n
Nutcracker: Short and Suite, a 45-minute, sensory-friendly version of the holiday classic, will be presented on Dec. 7. The first show of the Family Series falls on the same weekend as ACB\u2019s production of The Nutcracker with Live Orchestra. This classic production will be presented Dec. 5 -7 and features conductor Brad Cawyer, the professional dancers of ACB, and a large children\u2019s cast representing the best talent from local auditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
ACB has big plans for Valentine\u2019s Day. The Classic Series production is Rhythm & Romance, a series of ballets inspired by the amazing live music that will accompany the dancers, on Feb. 13-14. The evening will include George Balanchine\u2019s Valse Fantaisie set to music by Mikhail Glinka, Paul Mejia\u2019s Cafe Victoria with tangoes of Astor Piazzolla, and Puder\u2019s Sisterhood featuring music by Dallas-native composer Quinn Mason.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 14, the Family Series features Peter and the Wolf with chamber orchestra. Throughout this imaginative retelling, each musical instrument represents a character and helps introduce the sounds of the live orchestra to children. Paul Mejia\u2019s choreography will draw audiences of all ages into the symphonic tale, while bilingual narration is a perfect addition to the storytelling aspect for children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On March 27-28,\u00a0Avant Chamber Ballet will collaborate with Orchestra of New Spain for the first time for\u00a0Pulchinella: Reimagined\u00a0 The program features two contrasting works: Igor Stravinsky\u2019s witty, baroque-inspired \u201cPulcinella,\u201d restaged in Mexico with colorful staging and costumes, perfectly capturing the Comedia del Arte characters and\u00a0 Manuel de Falla\u2019s intensely theatrical and tragic \u201cEl Amor Brujo\u201d set in the passionate heart of Andalusia. Both ballets will be world premieres choreographed by Puder and Fernanda Oliveira. The\u00a0Classic Series\u00a0will feature the full evening of two ballets, while the\u00a0Family Series\u00a0will be a one-act version\u00a0Pulcinella Jr\u00a0on March 28 with all the same dancers, costumes, and orchestra onstage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our biggest season year when it comes to music. Five of our productions include chamber orchestras. ACB has been a small part of Orchestra of New Spain shows in the past with choreographed sections of their operas, but this is our first big collaboration,\u201d Puder said.\u00a0\u201cPulcinella: Reimagined includes two world premiere ballets with new sets, costumes, choreography and the orchestra and vocalists on stage with us. The two ballets are completely different too: \u201cPulcinella\u201d is a bright, comedic ballet and \u201cEl Amor Brujo\u201d is a dramatic ghost story of love and death.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Pulcinella: Reimagined is Avant Chamber Ballet’s first collaboration with the Orchestra of New Spain. Dancer featured is Mackenzie Bartlett.<\/p>\n
ACB\u2019s\u00a0Classic Series wraps up April 25-26 with the debut of\u00a0The Seasons\u00a0with a live orchestra conducted by Brad Cawyer. Composer Alexander Glazounow\u2019s music is given a rich, romantic interpretation by choreographer Paul Mejia. The ballet is presented as four tableaux depicting the character of the four seasons of the year. The shimmering score provides the backdrop as the season changes from icy winter to spring garlands, from spirited summer to vibrant autumn.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The final\u00a0Family Series\u00a0performance on April 25 features a live chamber orchestra with Puder\u2019s newly rechoreographed\u00a0Carnival of the Animals. Camille Saint-Saens famous score delights audiences with 14-movements danced by Elephants, Fish, Lions, and a Swan. Like all the Family Series performances, children can meet their favorite characters after the show in the lobby.<\/p>\n
The new season highlights the company\u2019s growth over the last five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pandemic was a hard time for all artists who work in live performance, but it made us reevaluate how and why we do everything. Coming out of that time, we really began focusing on making dance more affordable and relatable\u00a0to our community, not just for the sake of art. Our free school and training program, First Steps, was born out of the pandemic and now teaches over 300 kids each year for free!\u201d Puder said.\u00a0<\/p>\n