Word to your mother — 'Mother Earth,' that is

The Greater Lansing BalletCo.’s next performance is not just entertainment — it has a message for theaudience as well. The “Mother Earth” ballet, which was performed for the firsttime in 2002, stemmed from choreographer and artistic director Barbara Banasikowski Smith’s love ofnature. A trip to Xcaret, an ecological park in Mexico, inspired the ballet,which tells the story of Mother Earth and the affects of human intervention onthe environment.

“Mother Earth,to me, has taken on a human quality,” Smith said. “She embraces and loves herchildren, who are the animals. It’s really based on ecological issues, and howhumans have tampered with the delicate systems of life, and abusing thebeautiful resources of Mother Earth, and Mother Earth cries for her children.”

The ballet showshow the different creatures of Earth come together to make up Mother Earth. Thebutterflies are her arms, lions and zebras are her legs and birds are hervoice. In the end, Lady Hope arrives, to represent that with hope, people canheal the world. Smith said that environmental issues have come to the forefrontin today’s society, even more than when she initially staged it.

Mary Linda Dunn,who was in the original ballet and performs the role of Mother Earth, said theplay has many educational points and emphasizes how important it is to protectthe environment. She said it has raised her awareness of educational issues,including the British Petroleum oil spill. She compared it to the Exxon Valdezspill, that happened when she was young; she did not understand the impact ofthe spill at the time.

“There are somany environmental issues that are affected, and it raises the questionsthrough the ballet,” she said. “It’s been an overwhelming process to look atthis idea that if we look at the everything, we can see almost apersonification of this being that is the Earth. I would hope that peoplewalking away from the projection would desire to get more involved with MotherEarth and the resources that we have to use, especially in our beautiful state,that we continue to protect it for further generations.”

“Mother Earth”

Great LansingBallet Company

2 p.m. Sunday,April 7

PattengillAuditorium at Pattengill Middle School

626 MarshallSt., Lansing

Tickets are $15for adults, $12 for students and seniors, $8 for children under 12

For tickets,call GLBC at (517) 372-9887