AMHERST (Mass.) – On Thursday, November 3 through Saturday, November 5, the UMass Department of Music and Dance will present a reinterpretation of the classic ballet Scheherazade choreographed by UMass Dance Director Tom Vacanti. Performances will take place all three evenings at 7:30 PM in Totman Performance Lab.

            Inspired by the original ballet by Mikhail Fokine and the lush score by Rimsky-Korsakov, Vacanti sought to recapture the grand spectacle of the original production through sets, costumes, video projections, and a cast of 27 dancers. However, Vacanti has based his adaptation on a different story from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights than the one used in the 1910 Ballet Russes production.

The November ballet performances are based instead on Scheherazade’s story about King Yunan and Sage Duban, which includes similar elements of intrigue, deception, revenge and murder as the original tale. In making this selection, Vacanti commented that he sought to “highlight the fact that Scheherazade, through her storytelling, saved not only her own life but many women’s lives after her.”

Ticket prices are $25 for the general public, $15 for seniors, $5 for students, and free for UMass students. Tickets may be purchased at the Fine Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 413-545-2511, or online at www.fineartscenter.com/musicanddance.

The Totman Performance Lab is located at 30 Eastman Lane on the north side of the campus. Free and secure parking is available in nearby University lot 43 after 5 p.m. – refer to the UMass interactive parking map for more information. All visitors must follow established safety protocols set forth by UMass and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

About the UMass Amherst Department of Music & Dance

Founded in 1938, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Music and Dance is one of the largest and most respected of its kind in New England, offering students conservatory-quality training in the diverse and dynamic setting of a public research university. For more information, please visit www.umass.edu/music. The Music and Dance Department is part of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, UMass Amherst.