Alchemy Ballet at Middleburg Community Center on August 22

The Middleburg Community Center welcomes Alchemy Ballet's Pop-Up Company’s Midsummer Nocturne on Saturday, August 22 at 3 p.m. The one-hour performance will be followed by a reception with light refreshments.

Presented as the culmination of Alchemy Ballet's week-long Pop-Up Company intensive, “Midsummer Nocturne: Minkus to Mingus, Chopin to Copland,” celebrates the extraordinary talents of young dancers and special guest artists in a vibrant program that moves seamlessly from classical masterworks to contemporary creations, from lyrical storytelling to spellbinding jazz.

Under the artistic direction of Lorraine Audéoud Spiegler, with choreography by Luis Serrano, Matthew McLaughlin, Jessica Brown, Stanislav Issaev, Pavlo Yevtuchenko and Lorraine Spiegler, the performance showcases the versatility of Alchemy Ballet's emerging artists in works inspired by a remarkable spectrum of composers and music/dance traditions.

Audiences will experience choreography set to music by Ludwig Minkus, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Aaron Copland, Roberta Flack, Hans Zimmer, Tchaikovsky, and more —demonstrating how classical ballet can engage in conversation with jazz, folk traditions, contemporary music, and timeless classics.

Among the featured works is Luis Serrano's moving choreography to "Las Simples Cosas," an excerpt from his ballet Esencia that premiered at Ballet Monterrey in 2012, in tribute to the great Mexican singer Chavela Vargus—along with selections from Don Quixote and Swan Lake. The program also offers audiences an early glimpse of Alchemy’s much-anticipated production of The Blue Bird at Capital One Hall (April 10, 2027).

Adding even more variety to the afternoon will be special guest artist professional dancer Matthew McLaughlin, and Abigail Walker, graduate of Alchemy Ballet, now a trainee with Washington Ballet–performing the much-acclaimed “Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, then Blue Silk,” choreographed by Lorraine Spiegler and Luis Serrano to jazz icon Charles Mingus’s solo piano piece.

"This program reflects what Alchemy Ballet is all about," said Artistic Director Lorraine Audéoud Spiegler. "We honor the beauty and discipline of classical ballet while embracing collaboration, innovation, and the rich musical traditions that continue to inspire new artistic voices. We hope audiences will discover something familiar, something unexpected, and perhaps even a new favorite piece of music along the way."

Founded in 2022, Alchemy Ballet is dedicated to providing world-class ballet training in the Vaganova method and performance opportunities while fostering creativity, artistic excellence, mentorship, and meaningful community engagement. The company is increasingly recognized for pairing exceptional classical technique with imaginative collaborations that connect ballet with music, visual art, and diverse cultural traditions.

Tickets are $20 for adults; $5 for children/youth under 16.