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Local dancers perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a world premiere this weekend

Leora Zeitlin

Fairies, sprites, magic and love are all part of Shakespeare’s enchanting “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” This weekend, they’ll all be on stage when the Las Cruces School of Dance and Music presents the Shakespeare-inspired ballet, choreographed by founder and artistic director Monique Foster. Her goal for every ballet, she says, is “to tell the story. Yes, we have ballet technique, dance, and a vocabulary, but I’m always trying to make sure the story is told.”

To ensure her students knew the story, Foster had them watch a movie of Shakespeare’s play, and will also include some narration of the play in her production. She joined Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin in the KRWG studios to talk about the weekend’s performances.

Foster also directs the Borderlands Ballet Co., which will premiere a new ballet on Sunday evening as well. Mark Moffett wrote the story for the “steampunk” ballet, “The Persistence of Air,” which deals with life being breathed into automata; Dallas choreographer Jennifer Boren was enlisted to choreograph the production. Performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream take place on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. “The Persistence of Air” will be premiered on Sunday at 6 p.m. All performances take place at the NMSU Center for the Arts.