21 May 1959
E. Virginia Williams and the New England Civic Ballet traveled to Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, PA to take part in the First Annual Northeastern Regional Ballet Festival. Several dance notables were in the audience, including George Balanchine, Alexandra Danilova, and Ted Shawn, founder of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. New England Civic Ballet performed E. Virginia Williams' The Young Loves, with music from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
Following their appearance at the festival two dancers from New England Civic Ballet were featured on the cover of the July 1959 issue of Dance Magazine entitled "Regional Ballet: America's Fastest Growing Youth Movement." Doris Hering's article inside the issue about the festival praised the troupe's performance, stating, "Imagination and musicianship shone through The Young Loves, choreographed by E. Virginia Williams for her New England Civic Ballet of Boston. As soon as the curtain went up, and one saw four young girls standing in profile against the simple setting of velvet panels, one knew that here were dancers..."
Dance Magazine, “Regional Ballet: America’s Fastest Growing Youth Movement,” July 1959
Boston Ballet Archives