The Register-Guard, Feb 28, 2016

Ballet Fantastique premiered a ballet at the Hult Center on Friday night. Based on Celtic mythology, “Dragon & the Night Queen” dazzled with fabulous music, incredible costumes, a wondrous set and beautiful dancers.

Donna Bontrager, artistic director, and Hannah Bontrager, executive director, used live music, which was exciting as well as lovely. The music was the glue that brought the ballet together.

Gerry Rempel provided the neo-Celtic music with John Polese, Merlin Showalter and Rick Carter.

Eliot Grasso provided a pure Irish flavor with his uilleann pipes, flute, whistle and fiddle. The Uilleann pipe is the earliest type of bagpipe from Ireland. Different from the bagpipes of Scotland, they are played sitting down, the elbows and fingers the main navigators, not the mouth. The right elbow is placed on the bellow and the left elbow is placed above the bag, which feeds air to the pipe. The pipe, or chanter, has holes much like a recorder or flute. The addition of this instrument lent a traditional link to the ballet.

Cindy Kenny and Alyse Jamieson sang with flawless voices.