State Street Ballet

Jungle Book

Sunday, April 22, 2012 - 2:00 pm
Admission: $30

State Street Ballet, a vibrant, innovative professional dance company based in
Santa Barbara, California returns once again to St. Augustine with the ballet Jungle Book. Travel to the fabled jungle of Rudyard Kipling’s India in this visually delightful production. State Street Ballet melds the much-loved, familiar storyline with exciting dance movement and special effects, giving the tale a modern and unique twist. Movement, music, lighting, scenery and acting offer lively contemporary entertainment while honoring classical traditions of dance. The company combines the rigors and timeless beauty of classical technique with updated looks, special effects and digital technology, producing original works that satisfy today’s diverse audiences.

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SYNOPSIS

ACT I • Scene I • Water, Air, Earth, and Fire—the four natural elements—meld, and the Jungle rises. The boy child, Mowgli, finds himself alone. Suddenly, Shere Khan the Tiger springs at him. Raksha, the She-Wolf, saves this boy-pup. Shere Khan follows his quarry to the den where Akela and Raksha, Mowgli’s wolf parents, defend their human child from the Tiger.

Scene II • Time passes, and Mowgli and his wolf brothers have grown older. They realize that a jungle animal only kills his prey when he is really hungry. Learning to hunt, Mowgli masks his clumsiness by playing a wild game with the porcupine Ikki. Raksha, his wolf mother, takes action just in time. She punishes Mowgli for his carelessness. Mowgli, afraid of her anger, runs away from the den and spends his night in the open air.

Scene III • The moonlight brings Akela the Alpha Wolf, Baloo the Sloth Bear, and Bagheera the Panther to Council Rock where they discuss who to accept as new members of the Jungle. Akela decides that Mowgli, his son, should leave the jungle. Mowgli refuses and argues with Bagheera. Mowgli spends another night in the open where he encounters Messua, a beautiful maiden from the village of the humans.

Scene IV • Sunbeams wake Mowgli. His morning siesta is suddenly interrupted by the bear’s arrival. He scolds the big, clumsy Baloo for having stolen honey from the enraged bees.

Scene V • A human couple on safari disturb the silence of the meadow. For the first time in Mowgli’s life he watches people making fire. Also watching are the Grey Monkeys who realize that the knowledge of how to make fire would give them great power. The Grey Monkeys kidnap Mowgli and carry him to the ruins, where Jacala, their monkey king, has his royal residence.

INTERMISSION

ACT II • Scene I • Mowgli is a captive in the Monkey Kingdom. Jacala, the Monkey King, wants to force Mowlgi to reveal the secret of making fire so that the Monkeys will be drawn closer to man’s level. But Mowgli does not understand the value of this golden treasure. With the Snake Kaa’s help, Bagheera frees Mowgli, who returns to his friends in the Jungle.

Scene II • Bagheera the Panther realizes more and more urgently that Mowgli’s return to the world of men is inevitable. Baloo the Bear, however, wants Mowgli to remain with his friends in the Jungle.

Scene III • The Safari Couple suddenly stop as they hear remote sounds of tourists shooting. Mowgli also hears the shots. He knows he doesn’t want to return to where people kill animals without reason, just for the sport of i.t

Scene IV • Mowgli encounters the beautiful Messua again. In love and with his loyalties divided, he returns to the jungle where he confronts Shere Khan. In a colossal battle, Mowgli and his jungle friends finally defeat the Tiger.

Scene V • Mowgli’s thoughts now turn to Messua whom he loves. The love that is about to flourish leads him to where he belongs. He bids farewell to his friends Bagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear. Surrounded by his animal friends and his new found love for Messua, he accepts his return to the Human Jungle.