WASHINGTON (AP) β “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen,” a sculpture by Edgar Degas that can be seen in museums around the world, is coming to life in a musical debuting on the Kennedy Center stage in Washington.
The $7 million production opens Saturday for previews.
It is the brainchild of playwright and lyricist Lynn Ahrens, composer Stephen Flaherty and director and choreographer Susan Stroman. The show was born out of a love of dance and their shared interest in one of the most important sculptures at the National Gallery of Art, one that depicts a defiant 14-year-obmld dancer who posed for Degas.
The original wax-and-clay sculpture from 1881 is held by the National Gallery. After Degas died, 22 bronze casts were made of the original “Little Dancer” and became popular images for young ballerinas.
