MANSFIELD – Neos Dance Theatre and Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center are combining for Boots & Ballet, the artistic collaboration of the season.
Last year, the community was first introduced to the idea of horses and ballet as a complementary pairing. In the event’s second year, Neos Artistic Director Bobby Wesner is taking that idea and running with it.
“Those that experienced it last year saw us cut our teeth on what this event could be,” Wesner said. “This year we’re heading down the road a lot further through additional collaborations and musicians and activities so we can show a lot more and provide a lot more fun experiences for the audience. It’s an event that’s growing up.”
The fundraiser will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 in the historic riding arena of Raemelton, located at 569 S. Trimble Rd. in Mansfield. Live streaming of the Kentucky Derby and pre-Derby races will be projected onto a large screen. Guests can bid on the races and silent auction items throughout the evening.
After the inaugural Boots & Ballet fundraiser last year, Wesner said the response from Raemelton as well as the community was overwhelmingly positive. Yet, walking away from the event he had a sense there was still so much potential.
“We were able to say let’s get people mobilized throughout the arena and give them things to do at any given moment to feel a constant buzz of excitement,” Wesner said. “What we’ve developed at Neos has also helped us learn how to engage with the audience more and bring the audience into an evening where they can think.”
Neos Dance Theatre will perform at the fundraiser from 6:15 to 8 p.m. and will debut two brand-new works specially created for Boots & Ballet. One is a world premiere of a shortened work created by Neos dancer Mary-Elizabeth Fenn.
“It’s much different from her typical work that is much more character-oriented and people you can identify with,” Wesner explained. “This particular work is a little more stark, it’s very much just movement to music. I think there’s an internal story, but it’s an abstraction.”
The second work is a preview of a larger selection of work Neos will perform over the summer. This work plays off the rawness of the Neos mobile stage in the middle of Raemelton’s historic riding arena.
“I wanted to bring something a little more purely classical to contrast that rustic feel,” Wesner said. “I think we’re going to engage a lot of new audience members, people that may not be familiar with what Neos is, so I wanted to put out a large variety of work as well as work specifically developed for this space.”
Additional collaborations for this year’s Boots & Ballet include the Bluegrass trio “Good Luck Eloise” playing at 5:15 p.m. and local high school barbershop quartet, The Twilights, singing from the Raemelton rafters during the early part of the event. The Jimmy Warner Band will play from 8 to 11 p.m. to close out the night, where guests are invited to take a spin on the dance floor with Neos dancers.
General admission tickets are $25, which includes access to all performances and activities. Tickets for students and seniors are $15 with ID. Charcoal Mafia BBQ from the Ashland area will offer menu items for purchase starting at 5:30 p.m. and a cash bar will be open throughout the event featuring the evening’s specialty drink, the Mint Julep.
Premium tickets are $50, which includes access to all performances and activities, including stable tours throughout the night. Premium ticket holders will also have full access to the VIP Lounge with fare catered by Doc’s Deli starting at 5:30 p.m. and two drink tickets from the cash bar from Phoenix Brewery beer, Cyprus Hill wine, and assorted beers and sodas.
Jay Allred, publisher of Richland Source, will serve as master of ceremonies for Boots & Ballet. Richland Source is a media sponsor for Neos Dance Theatre’s performance season in Mansfield and surrounding areas.
With the event only in its second year, Wesner already has big plans for the future of Boots & Ballet.
“I feel like the audience will go away with a lot of their senses tapped into and feel very full and rich and proud of what we can accomplish together in Mansfield and Richland County,” he said.
Tickets for Boots and Ballet are available by visiting www.neosdancetheatre.org or Eventbrite. For more information, call 330-595-4650 for reservations or purchase tickets at the door.
