On Saturday, March 30, you will have two chances to see a ballet performance at Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. First at 4 .p.m and later at 7:30 p.m., ballet students from ages 3 through adults will fill the stage with a lively ballet performance. The show’s theme is, “A Postcard with Love,” and in each dance, a particular postcard will come to life. Postcard art by the dance students will also be on display that day.

During the year, ballet students take classes at the home studio of Thea Huijgen at the south end of Lopez Island. Originally from the Netherlands, Thea performed and taught extensively in Europe as well as in various states of the US before moving to Lopez Island. As it turned out, there was ample interest in ballet on Lopez, and soon enough, ballet was alive and well in her studio, and students were eager to perform. After a number of years, some of those students have auditioned to make it into a summer dance academy in Kirkland, WA. Thea is very happy and proud that three dancers, Mirabella Velo, Naima Garcia and Sydney Ratza, will be attending that dance camp this summer. You can watch them perform in this show, along with many other dancers.

The proceeds for both shows and additional donations will benefit the ballet scholarship fund, which helps lighten the burden for summer ballet camps as well as for students who need help paying for ballet classes during the year. Admission for both shows is by donation at the door. Be prepared for an afternoon or night of memorable entertainment. As Thea Huijgen says, “When the dancers make a connection with the audience, it’s magic.”