Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Pointe of Departure

In a 1789 painting by Pierre-Antoine Baudouin, a stern old woman berates a sobbing maiden in a barn as her lover tears out the door. A roll in the hay gone wrong? Perhaps, but the scene so delighted 18th-century choreographer Jean Dauberval that he transformed it into a fairy tale-esque ballet, La Fille Mal Gardée. Now one of the oldest ballets still in the modern repertoire, the country comedy is studded with colorful characters, light-footed animals and a maypole dance. Moving Light Dance’s troupe of 96 central Vermont students and company members prove, once again, that true love conquers all in a weekend production.