ABOUT THE CONCERT

Experience a thrilling new genre of immersive theater. Only from the bold imagination of Ballet Fantastique: The world’s first interactive murder mystery ballet.

London, 1888. The stage is set. Beneath the flicker of footlights, lavish sets, and gritty backstage drama, a string of shocking murders rocks the Les Étoiles Ballet Company. Jewels vanish. Secrets simmer. Red herrings multiply. A detective rises from the audience—and you, the audience (now our captive witnesses), hold the power to choose how the story ends.

A dark and delicious reinvention of the Penny Dreadful, set in the shadowy era of Jack the Ripper. Driven by a cinematic, emotionally rich score by Grammy®-nominated composer Juan Luqui (HBO, NatGeo, Netflix, Sundance) exclusively for Ballet Fantastique—his first-ever ballet commission.

Each night, the audience decides who the murderer is, leading to a different thrilling ending at every performance.

Critical acclaim

“a dark and stormy night in London, where the Les Etoiles ballet company’s newest primadonna has been murdered. Almost any character could have done it: the director whose affair with the ballerina might have been exposed; the jealous and resentful understudy who believes she deserves the main role; the director’s jealous wife...But there’s a twist...the detective in the performance doesn’t even know who’s going to be picked that night.”
—Columbia Basin Herald

“Ballet Fantastique and Columbia Basin Allied Arts present the world's first interactive murder mystery ballet, where the audience shapes the story's end with real-time choose-your-own-adventure elements.” —AOL

“For Agatha Christie fans…a live murder-mystery ballet in which the audience plays a role in outing the murderer. Ballet Fantastique is known for its risk-taking cinematic reimaginings of traditional stories and themes and musical collaborations with world-famous musicians. Featuring the live music of Grammy®-winning Juan Luqui, the murderer lurks amongst us on a stormy night in London at Les Etoiles Ballet in 1888. Go if you dare!” —Jamuna Chiarini, Oregon ArtsWatch

“A brilliant combination of incredible storytelling and choreography with amazingly talented dancers and stunning musical composition. If you have never experienced BFan, now is the time!” —B Fowler

The trailer

Murder past performances

PAST MURDER AT THE BALLET SHOWS & TOURS

Hult Center for the Performing Arts — Eugene, OR (Soreng Theater) — March 2024 — SOLD OUT
Wallenstein Theater — Moses Lake, WA — Oct 2024
— now touring —

Presenter info

PREMIERE: May 2024
CHOREOGRAPHERS: Emmy®-nominated Donna Marisa & Hannah Bontrager, for Ballet Fantastique
MUSIC: Grammy®-nominated Juan Luqui, for Ballet Fantastique
COSTUMES: Featuring original Victorian-inspired costumes with lavish detail and noir-edge, crafted by Donna Marisa Bontrager, Allison Ditson, Chelsea Lovejoy, and LA's Primadonna Tutus.
STORY: Narrated for you through the perspective of Irine Poët, our Detective (voice of Cate Barr for Ballet Fantastique)
DANCERS: 12
CREW SIZE: 5
DURATION: 100 mins (not including 20-min intermission)

ballet fantastique Technical Rider

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS

LIVE MUSIC || LOCAL PERFORMERS: Ballet Fantastique’s artistic staff collaborates with local dance studio(s) to integrate area teen/adult students in the performance as the Victorian “audience” (up to 10 local performers) || EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT: Artist Q&A or Master Class included with most touring packages.