Ballet Arkansas takes on ‘The Great Gatsby’ Oct. 23-25

BALLET ARKANSAS: ‘THE GREAT GATSBY’
FRIDAY 10/23-SUNDAY 10/25. Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. $25-$50. 

If you saw Ballet Arkansas’ production of “The Great Gatsby” in 2021, you might be wondering whether it’s worth your time to come out for the company’s fresh rendition of the 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald classic this October. The answer is: absolutely. While the earlier iteration was limited in scope by pandemic-era restrictions, the new staging is “all immersive,” according to Executive and Artistic Director Michael Fothergill. “Usually, when you go and sit down for a traditional ballet performance, you’re in a seat and the performers are on stage,” he told the Arkansas Times. “But in this instance, the performers are in the auditorium. They’re seated next to people. They’re making use of the overhangs that overlook the stage. They’re making use of the Starry Night hallway.” Steeped in the music of Roaring Twenties figures like George Gershwin and Fats Waller and packed with contemporary dance choreographed by Fothergill, the show is especially momentous because it marks the beginning of Michael and Catherine Fothergill’s 10th season as the leaders of Ballet Arkansas, which is offering four performances of “The Great Gatsby”: 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25. Get tickets at balletarkansas.org.