Family Concert: Shall We Dance (Oakland) March 24, 2013

Featuring Berkeley Ballet Theater's Youth Company

For its third Family Concert of the season, the acclaimed San Francisco Chamber Orchestra joins the barre with the Berkeley Ballet Theater's Youth Company to enchant the Bay Area with the sights and sounds of classical ballet. Children and parents of all ages are welcome at this admission-free program.

Each collaborative performance on Saturday, March 23, and Sunday, March 24, will feature a diverse selection of classical and contemporary repertoire for both ensembles. The musicians and dancers will premiere music by the Portland Cello Project arranged by SFCO Music Director Benjamin Simon, and choreographed by BBT Artistic Director Ilona McHugh. The Portland Cello Project has been identified as "genre-crossing" (MTV.com), as well as "a group of cello-wielding maniacs" (Spacelab Magazine).

Let the music move you! Watch the amazing young dancers from the Berkeley Ballet Theater transform the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra's notes into graceful leaps and turns, then come onto the stage to learn a step or two yourself! No experience necessary-just follow your youngster and pretend no one's watching.

Visual delights and audience participation make these fun-loving concerts a joy for all ages! The SFCO's Family Concert series introduces Bay Area children ages three through twelve to a wide range of classical music, setting the stage for a lifelong appreciation of this engaging art form. Audience interaction is welcome and encouraged in an informal but engrossing listening experience. Questions, clapping, and sing-alongs are all common occurrences at these joyful productions.

Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra's Family Concert series is a fully professional production. Seating is first come, first served (no tickets or reservations are issued). Doors open 30 minutes before each performance time.

Official Website: http://www.sfchamberorchestra.org/events/family/