Summer Fantasy featured on national television

Daytime hosts Lindsay MacDonald and Cindi Edwards with brothers Ethan
and Colin Fuller, who will perform in NGB's Summer Fantasy on Friday.

Next Generation Ballet’s summer dance production, Summer Fantasy, will be featured on the national television morning show Daytime tomorrow.

Dancers Ethan and Colin Fuller joined NGB’s artistic director Peter Stark on the show to talk about the production and show off a preview.

Longtime students of Stark, Ethan and Colin are training at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa for four weeks this summer as part of NGB’s summer intensive program.

“It’s been great, very challenging,” said Colin, 18, who has trained with the School of American Ballet for the past two years and will attend Julliard this fall. Colin recently made it to the top 35 contestants on the popular television show So You Think You Can Dance.

His younger brother Ethan, 14, started dancing because he was always in tow for dance classes and competitions.

“We have an aunt who dances in New York City, so we both got into it because of her,” said Ethan.

Ethan toured last year from January through December with the Broadway musical Billy Elliot. He played the coveted lead role of Billy.

Playing the lead in a major Broadway musical was both fun, and emotionally and physically taxing, said Ethan.

“It was stressful on my body and mind, but I loved performing the show,” said Ethan.

Ethan’s background is predominantly in ballet and contemporary, so he hadn’t done any tapping or much acting or singing prior to being cast in the show.

“It amazed me what a good actor he was, it was a really dramatic role,” said Ethan’s mom Camille.

Though rehearsals were tough, and he toured six cities, including three months in San Francisco, CA, “I always had enough energy that it was still fun.”

The brothers are from Melbourne and have trained with Stark on and off for years, both in Orlando and at the Patel Conservatory. Ethan also trains with New Dimensions Dance Company in Titusville.

Both have enjoyed taking classes this summer with NGB’s guest instructors, including Jeremy Blanton, Dylan G-Bowley and siblings Jeff and Lia Cirio of the Boston Ballet, and look forward to performing in Friday’s Summer Fantasy.

For a preview of Friday night’s show, check out Colin performing a contemporary piece on Daytime this Wednesday morning, July 25, 2012, on WFLA Channel 8 at 10 a.m.

Summer Fantasy will be Fri., July 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. in Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa. For tickets, click here.