Twilight Time for the Fairy Ball

The annual Fairy Ball sponsored by the Paseo Arts Association and Theatre Upon a StarDanceSwan will be held on Saturday, May 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. Past Fairy Balls have been held on Paseo, but this 15th ball is moving to the Crown Jewel Amphitheater located at Restoration Church at the Dome, 3700 N. Walker in Oklahoma City.

This event is for children and their parents in the community. Young people of all ages are invited to dress up and gather at Twilight Time in the historic amphitheater hidden in the trees. Once here, children create an evening of colorful music and dance.

Families can begin the fun at home before the Fairy Ball with a little imaginative thinking. To get ready for the ball, children can make a costume from the resources they have at their fingertips. Parents are encouraged to let their child be the guide to find forgotten treasures in family closets and trunks. Rummaging and rag picking through vintage clothing and thrift stores offers whimsical and charming pieces from which to build a make believe frock.

“Repurpose what you find, look at these pieces in new, unpredictable ways, go for originality,” suggests Lorrie Keller, who creates costumes for StarDanceSwan with these ideas in mind. “You will be surprised by what you can create. We are awaiting the appearance of all kinds fanciful characters at this year’s Fairy Ball.

“How shall we beguile and delight this spring evening if not with bugs, blossoms, elves, trolls, fairies, sky creatures, comets, moon men, dragons, little mice and furry kittens? Any fanciful being that can be imagined is welcome. The characters who come to the Fairy Ball are always enchanting and bring the ball to life.”

The Fairy Ball begins at 7 p.m. with ‘Flower Magic’. Here children can finish their costumes by weaving flowers and palm leaves into crowns, wings and ‘flowerfulls’. When Twilight Time approaches, at 7:45 p.m., the StarDanceSwan Fairies spin color into motion and invite all children to follow them in rounds of dance.

Children are encouraged to move in their own naturally expressive ways to music befitting a Fairy Ball. Steve McLinn’s original Ojas Music bedazzles ears and makes little feet spin. His electrical acoustical fusion sound reflects the ethereal world and fills the evening all the way up to the stars. Parents can watch their children dance. There will also be a special area on the grounds where children and parents can dance together.

“I have wished to have the Fairy Ball in the Crown Jewel Amphitheater,” says Lorrie Keller, designer of the event. “My dream harkens back to the 1950’s when a father who played the violin brought his little girl to a concert series called ‘Twilight Time’ at this amphitheater. He sat her on the front row where she watched him play in the orchestra.

“Surrounded by trees in theatrical lights, she looked up into the starry sky and peered into the drama and dance performed on stage. This was magical! The violinist was my father. The child who took this Twilight Time into her heart is now creating an opportunity with many other artists for children to feel this wonder in their own way,” reflects Keller.

On the eve of the Fairy Ball, everyone gathers at Crown Jewel Amphitheater located at Restoration Church of the Dome at 3700 N Walker, just north of the dome and church complex. ‘Flower Magic’ is from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. The dance follows until 9 p.m. The Fairy Ball is free to the public; donations are accepted to help offset the costs of the event. Children must be accompanied by adults. In the case of inclement weather, a rain date will be announced for a later time. The Fairy Ball is made possible through the support of the Paseo Arts Association, Theatre Upon a StarDanceSwan and the Oklahoma Art Council. For more information call the Paseo Arts Association, (405) 525-2688, or visit www.thepaseo.org

The Gayly – April 20, 2016 @ 1:30 p.m.