For more than 50 years, the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre has been helping to bring the biggest and brightest stars onto the stage for dance enthusiasts to enjoy. In the company’s long history, it has cultivated countless dancers and choreographers from Baton Rouge. One of the most popular attractions of the theater is its annual Spring Concert, wherein it presents either a complete traditional ballet or a tableau of modern dance and ballet.
This spring, BRBT is presenting the ballet of “Snow White” as staged by esteemed ballet producer Winthrop Corey. After its premiere last spring in Mobile, Ala., Corey brought “Snow White” through Omaha, Neb., before preparing BRBT’s dancers for their production this weekend.
Corey, originally from St. Louis, Mo., has held a spot in ballet for many years, starting out as a professional dancer himself in Canada for 11 years. From there, he went on to the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. For the past 25 years, Corey maintained his position as artistic director for the Mobile Ballet Company in Alabama.
“I created the ballet. I choreographed it and I designed it, and I made all of the costumes,” Corey said.
The majority of the costumes are intricate wardrobes, indicating Corey’s laborious dedication to his work in ballet design. Maintaining realistic costume designs also show the producer’s commitment to period authenticity.
Corey expects to bring in large audiences with the Baton Rouge production of his ballet. This particular rendition of “Snow White” differs from the usual version of the story. Corey implements different thematic elements that help build the performance value of both the dancers and the story itself.
What seems to separate this production of “Snow White” from others is Corey’s focus on both romance and on-stage emotion. In his ballets, he makes an effort to spotlight the intimacy of characters in love as well as the tension between enemies.
“When I choreograph, I build a ballet around a relationship. Snow White first has a relationship with the Evil Queen, who wants her gone. Then there’s a smaller relationship with the huntsman who has to go kill her, but he can’t because they’re good friends,” Corey said. “So I start with those relationships, but then I have to build dance around those intimate relationships that happen.”
The ballet takes advantage of as much of the BRBT’s cast as possible. The company’s young talent plays the seven dwarves, while the older, more experienced dancers help to portray admirers of Snow White and the Prince. The title role will be fulfilled by Meredith Broussard, who danced with the BRBT for most of her life before moving to New York to further her career. French freshman Alexis Herrington and biology sophomore Caroline Schulenberg will also perform alongside Broussard.
Following this weekend’s shows, Corey’s “Snow White” will move to the Northwest Florida Ballet in Fort Walton Beach. There, Corey will stage his ballet in early October.
“It’s a great story. One that everybody knows but it’s a great take on it. It’s my take on it. It’s very romantic. A lot of good dancing in and the girls worked very hard. It’s really a ballet for the whole family,” Corey said.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Taylor Balkom

French student Alexis Herrington (right) practices with fellow members of Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, at BRBT's dance studio on Bluebonnet Blvd.