Lakewood Ranch serves up a performing arts smorgasbord

It’s kind of like a performing arts buffet.

Grand Ovation at Lakewood Ranch is an annual celebration of theater, dance and music from amateur and professional companies in the Sarasota area. This year’s Grand Ovation, the 11th annual, is set for Saturday.

Main Street will be closed to traffic, but all the shops and restaurants will be open, and the street will be lined with vendors and activities. On two stages, local groups present everything from circus and clogging acts to ballet.

Admission and parking are free.

It’s designed to let you experience some of the performing arts groups that you may not be familiar with, so show up whenever it’s convenient and enjoy the shows. But in case you have a specific group you want to be sure to catch, here’s the performance schedule:

Fountain Stage (next to MacAllisters): 10 a.m. — TBD; 10:30 a.m. — Dance University; 11 a.m. — Sarasota Ballet; 11:30 a.m. — Sarasota Dance Academy; Noon — School of Russian Ballet; 12:30 p.m. — Sarasota Youth Opera; 1 p.m. — LWR Ballroom Dance Club; 1:30 p.m — Woodland Fine Arts Academy.

Boardwalk Stage: (next to Healthy Living Organic and Natural Market): 10 a.m. — James Hawkins; 10:30 a.m. — The Circus Arts Conservatory; 11 a.m. — Curry Creek Cloggers; 11:30 a.m. — Lakewood Ranch High School Theatre Dept.; noon — Sarasota White Sands Chapter/USA Dance; 12:30 p.m. — Ovation — School of Musical Theatre; 1 p.m. — That's Dancing; 1:30 pm — Players Centre for Performing Arts.

Details: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 3, Main Street, Lakewood Ranch. Admission: Free. 941-757-1548, lakewoodranch.com/grandovation.

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch serves up a performing arts smorgasbord."