"Baby Hawk Learns to Fly:" A Chamber Ballet in Two Acts

“Baby Hawk Learns to Fly” is a new chamber ballet for five dancers and twenty-three musicians, premiered in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall’s Studio Theater on April 18th, 19th, and 21st of 2025. Featuring music by Calder Sprinkle and choreography by Sabine Mead Mexia with additional choreography by Eden Leavey, it follows the heartwarming journey of a young hawk as with the help of his friends and family, he faces his fears, discovers who he is, and leaps into the sky. Based on a story original recorded by Bobby Norfolk, the ballet’s choreography is Neo-romantic in style and the music brings together the influences of Celtic folk, jazz, and the Western Art ballet scores of Adam, Tchaikovsky, and Copland, especially in terms of structure, thematic writing, and orchestration techniques.