DRESSED-UP ‘EMPEROR’ : Premiere Reflects Ballet Pacifica’s Commitment to Kids Despite Losses in Laguna Fire

“The Emperor’s New Clothes,” the opening work in Ballet Pacifica’s 1994-95 children’s series, is one of those stories that strikes kids and grown-ups in entirely different ways. Adults appreciate it as a puckish reminder of the dangers of conceit. And kids, well, kids like it because they get to laugh at a grown-up parading around in his undershorts, which, frankly, is a fine attribute for any fairy tale.

But there is one often overlooked passage at the tail end of the story from which kids and adults can both benefit. After a small child points out the emperor’s near-nakedness to the crowd, the monarch gathers up his dignity and carries on with the procession in the finest “the show must go on” tradition.

“The Emperor’s New Clothes,” a premiere choreographed by Ballet Pacifica artistic director Molly Lynch, will be presented in concert with Kathy Kahn’s “Tales of Mother Goose” in three one-hour shows Saturday and Sunday at Laguna Beach’s Festival Forum Theatre.

As anyone who has followed Ballet Pacifica in the past year knows, “Emperor’s” final message of hanging in there in the face of adversity is especially relevant for the 32-year-old dance troupe.

During last fall’s firestorm in Laguna, the company’s warehouse burned, destroying virtually all of their costumes and set pieces. Rather than cancel the remaining season, however, Lynch, aided by donors, volunteers and other dance companies, carried on with the scheduled performances, including a new holiday staging of “The Nutcracker.”

Besides “The Nutcracker” and the four-part children’s season, the company produces an annual concert series of classical and contemporary works as well as hosting the Pacifica Choreographic Project to develop works by American choreographers. Educational outreach programs, including in-school performances, workshops and lectures for kindergarten through 12th grade, are also offered.

Though the fire loss was a serious setback, Lynch said it forced her to take a hard look at the company’s goals, including its children’s programs.

Not having a storehouse of costumes and sets to draw from has affected the way she chooses her seasons. But it hasn’t changed her commitment to producing at least one or two new works each year for young audiences.

“We are basically building a whole new repertoire, so we have to think twice about every ballet we choose,” she explained. “We have to stop and think, ‘Is this something we want to keep in our repertoire for the next 20 years?’ ”

Though Lynch regularly choreographs for the concert series and oversees the production of all of Ballet Pacifica’s works, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” marks the first time she has created a children’s piece for the company in about 20 years. A student under Ballet Pacifica founder Lila Zali since she was 6, Lynch performed as a member of the company in her teens; at 18, she choreographed a version of “The Three Little Pigs” for the troupe.

Lynch’s “Emperor”--which will feature nine adult dancers and four children and is set to excerpts from Handel’s “Water Music”--holds fairly close to the original story in which two swindlers hoodwink an entire town into believing that the pair’s “invisible” cloth can only be seen by wise men. Like those in the rest of the children’s season, the work is recommended for youths 3 to 10, but Lynch said the performances often attract adults without kids in tow.

As in past seasons, the 1994-95 children’s lineup will pair one “story ballet” with a more abstract piece. Kahn’s “Tales of Mother Goose,” which premiered last year, features a cast of 20 children and adults portraying classic nursery rhyme characters to folk music.

In February, the troupe will present “Winnie-the-Pooh” with the premiere of Kahn’s “Three Ring Circus.” “Peter and the Wolf” and “Pinocchio” are in March. Closing the series in April are “Puss in Boots” and “Mixed Vegetables,” a lighthearted showcase of--you guessed it--dancing produce.

Lynch said all of the 12 to 15 professional dancers in her troupe perform in both the children’s series and the concert series. And, while dancing the role of a carrot or a stuck-up chamberlain may not be the most technically challenging assignment of their careers, she said the artists are happy to do it.

“They definitely see the value in it because it helps children develop an interest in dance that will hopefully become a part of their lives. In dance, audience members bring a part of themselves to the performance because we’re not literally saying something with words. We often find that . . . children relate better to one character than another. Each of them gets a different sense of the piece, because in a way they’ve been allowed to put themselves into it.” What: Ballet Pacifica presents “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “Tales of Mother Goose.”

When: Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 and 25, at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Where: Festival Forum Theatre, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

Whereabouts: From the San Diego (405) Freeway, exit at Laguna Canyon Road (Highway 133) and drive south. The theater is on the Festival of Arts grounds, on the right side of Laguna Canyon Road.

Wherewithal: $10 for adults; $7 for children 12 and under. Children under 3 are free.

Where to call: (714) 642-9275.