A performance of Carl Orff’s masterful piece “Carmina Burana” will feature a collaboration between the Atlantic City Ballet, the Ocean City POPS, and The Greater South Jersey Chorus, showcasing a blend of dance and music. This performance is part of the ballet’s 42nd season and will take place in two New Jersey locations, the Pfleeger Concert Hall at Rowan University in Glassboro on Friday, March 28, 2025, 7:30 p.m., and the mainstage at Stockton University’s Performing Arts Center in Galloway on Saturday, March 29, 2025, 7:30 p.m. Atlantic City Ballet’s staging of “Carmina Burana” at multiple places highlights the company’s commitment to bringing ballet to diverse audiences in the Garden State.

The show is described as a “feast for the senses” that pairs sensual, powerful choreography with German Composer Orff’s cantata (a vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment and characteristically featuring a choir). Choreographed by Phyllis Papa, this production showcases the Atlantic City Ballet, live music by the Atlantic City Ballet Percussion Ensemble conducted by Vince Lee, and a live choral by Rowan University Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Christopher Thomas.

The “Carmina Burana” is considered to be one of the most popular pieces in the repertoire of classical music. Off composed the cantata in 1935 and 1936, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection “Carmina Burana.”  The collection of 13th-century poems was written by monks originally in Latin, German, and French, exploring the themes of love, wine, and the human condition. The songs of the cantata likewise were sung in multiple languages. The “Carmina Burana” and Orff’s musical score are still relevant and continue to resonate with audiences today.

There have been numerous ballets inspired by “Carmina Burana” which often take an abstract approach, focusing on the cycle of life and love, and the joys and perils of human existence set to Orff’s music. In the  Atlantic City Ballet’s production, Papa's artfully choreographed vignettes capture the spirit of the score’s five movements, oscillating between the erratic, romantic, and lustful as they celebrate community and the joys of life. Her rendition takes on an approach more akin to the book of “Genesis” from the Bible.

“It starts with four monks reading scripture and changing things up. I have the first Man [Adam] finding a suitable helper. And I have sections like bone of my bones and the Garden of Eden,” says Papa. “I also have four dancers representing the four rivers (flowing from the Garden of Eden). I have couples that portray what's going on with the main couple, so I have a crafty one who plays Satan, and I have one who (represents) temptation,” adds Papa.  “Also, there are sections about banishment, them [Adam and Eve] actually leaving the Garden, and a scene with three dancers (portraying) jealousy. I also have in there murder and the battle of the sexes. And Noah's flood.”

When it comes to her artistic approach to a piece, Papa notes that all of the company’s dancers are classically trained, but her choreography is not what you call classical. “I tend to mix contemporary with classical ballet.”

This production of  “Carmina Burana” is a “splendor to behold, with nine male dancers and 14 female dancers (joined by) 10 musicians, 18 adult singers and a children's choir,” Papa says. “With the choir, the orchestra, and the ballet all together, it's gonna be a pretty magnificent array of vision and incredible audio.”

Papa has been a dancer her entire life, becoming a professional dancer at age 15. She has been choreographing dance numbers since she was 11 years old.  “I was given an opportunity to choreograph at that age and my first ballet was ‘Billy The Kid.’  I remember being in the subway station on 59th St. in New York and thinking ‘you know I really want to have my own company one day,’” she recalls.

Papa rose up the ranks from corps de ballet to principal dancer, performing with some of the top ballerinos, including former New York City Ballet dancer Peter Martins, and the late premier dancer Larry Rhodes, whose legacy includes serving as artistic director of the dance division at Juilliard.

Papas's childhood wish came true in 1982 when the international ballerina founded Atlantic City Ballet, which continues to serve as a cultural staple in New Jersey and is comprised of professional dancers from around the world, performing classical and innovative works. Although the company’s home base is in the Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the Ballet has performed in theaters all along the East Coast and across the country.

Atlantic City Ballet’s production of  “Carmina Burna” is one that shouldn’t be missed,” says Papa. “If you have never seen dance before, come to this (show). It is going to be a spectacular performance, with some wonderful visual effects.”

Tickets for the performance at Rowan University’s Pfleeger Concert Hall are $25 and available for purchase . General admission for the performance at Stockton University’s Performing Arts Center is $45 and tickets are available for purchase online as well.