A fantastic jungle adventure!
A thrilling blend of ballet, jazz, hip hop, and giant puppets brings Rudyard Kipling’s beloved tale of friendship to life. Join Mowgli and his animal pals as they tumble through the jungle, get wrapped up in the coils of Kaa, the snake, and fight off the menacing Sher Khan, the tiger. Fun for the entire family!
Kroc Center’s Joan B Kroc Theatre
- Oct. 26, 7:30pm
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Director’s Notes
I am often asked where ideas for ballets come from. The Jungle Book was born out of a need to add another family friendly piece to our repertoire that already includes Alice:Wonderland, Carnival of the Animals, The Nutcracker, and more.
“Family Friendly.” I often wonder what that even means these days when I see parents taking their kids to go see DEADPOOL. For me, it is a presentation of work that ALL members of the family can enjoy at whatever level of maturity they are coming to the performance with.
When we work on family friendly pieces, it is important that we try to do something that has some sort of frame of reference for children. Although there are many great works of children’s literature out there to draw from, I have to make sure that it will be something that lends itself to dance. Not everything does. The Jungle Book with its message of diversity and friendship not only fits our mission well, but the fact that many of the main characters are animals goes to some wonderful dance opportunities.
Additionally, our ballets for families give us a wonderful chance to work with other performing artists in San Diego. Artists who not only bring a high level of expertise to the table but a genuine joy to the process. Hip hop dancers as orangoutangs and giant elephant puppets fit so easily into the fabric of the piece, that no one even bats an eye.
SDB’s Jungle Book was actually put together in reverse. The story, cast, collaborators, and even original venue were chosen months before I found the music. An inventive (and pretty much forgotten) concept album from 1959 called Scheherajazz. But that is another story…by Skip Martin. Welcome to the Jungle!