The Ballet Kids of ‘Midsummer’ Bring Magic to the Bugs
There is Oberon, the King of the Fairies, and his beautiful Queen, Titania. Puck, a sprite, works his magic with the occasional unforced error, as mortals and immortals find themselves in a similar predicament: wanting to love. And wanting to be loved. But for all the sparkle of the mythological adults in George Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” it’s the kids — 24, plus Titania’s page — that rule this fantastical realm.Enter the Bugs.These young dancers from the School of American Ballet are the heart of New York City Ballet’s production. Technically, they play Fairies and Butterflies, but at City Ballet and its training ground, S.A.B., they are known informally as Bugs. (Perhaps less dignified as far as outdoor creatures go, but cuter.)Madison ArdietThese Bugs are small, exuberant bodies that, at times, scurry across the forest stage, gleaming in the moonlit night. They’re a coalition, a small but mighty squad of fleet-footed girls, ages roughly 10 to 12 — “a wholly unsentimental deployment,” wrote Lincoln Kirstein, who founded the school and company with Balanchine.Balanchine based his ballet more on Felix Mendelssohn’s overture and incidental music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” to which he added additional pieces, than on the Shakespeare comedy. Mendelssohn’s sweeping music also thrills the Bugs no end.It puts the gas in their engines, the quiver in their antennas, the flap in their delicate wings.“You’re not walking down the street anymore,” said Naomi Uetani, 11, with a smile she couldn’t suppress. “I’m in a magical place. I understand ‘Nutcracker’ — yeah, you’re in the candy land, but this is different. The feeling.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More