Covenant News

Six-Year-Old Covenanter Performs with Boston Ballet

BOSTON, MA (June 6, 2002) - Colin Holmes, a six-year-old boy from Covenant Congregational Church in Waltham, recently performed with the Boston Ballet as they performed a dance rendition of the Puccini opera Madame Butterfly.

Holmes made his ballet debut at the Wang Theater, one of the largest theaters in Boston, performing in six shows last month. He and two other children alternated as Madame Butterfly's child, Sorrow, during the ballet, which ran from May 2 through 19.

Holmes began taking ballet lessons in the Boston Ballet's Newton Dance Studio and was asked to try out for the production. He auditioned on his sixth birthday, April 8. He was the youngest person selected from the 12 children in the performance. His name appeared in recent editions of the Boston Herald as part of a story about the unique rendition of Madame Butterfly.

A kindergarten student at The Meadowbrook School in Weston, Colin is the son of Bill and Suzi Holmes of Waltham. Besides his work in ballet, Colin plays in an organized baseball league and enjoys collecting adventure game figurines.

"It was amazing for us," said Bill Holmes of his child's performance. "He was out there for about 25 minutes and he really enjoyed it. He didn't dance much, but he had 15 or 20 activities to do and he was the only child out there. We were amazed that he could stay in character for so long. He had us both in tears, particularly the first night. He had a great time. The principal characters were very child-centered and so was the choreographer, Stanton Welch. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

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