The art of Degas comes alive on stage
The Kennedy Center proudly presents this world premier of a brand new musical inspired by the artwork of Edgar Degas and a young ballerina who posed for one of his most famous sculptures, La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans. Four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines will play the role of Degas with three-time Tony nominee Rebecca Luker playing the role of adult Marie.
Susan Stroman directs and choreographs this landmark production, with music and lyrics penned by the Tony-winning team behind the musicals 'Seussical,' 'Rocky' and 'Ragtime', Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty.
What is Little Dancer about?
Marie van Goethem is a young student with the Paris Opera Ballet and ballerina who becomes immortalised in Degas' sculpture of the same name. This new musical blends fact and fiction to imagine how her life must have been impacted by these events, as the girl from an impoverished background grows to become a young adult with all the pleasures of Parisian high society opening up to her. Will she be able to balance the demands of her ballet career with her new-found adulthood and the freedom it often requires?
