DanceVision Announces New Winter Ballet for the Holidays, The Snow Queen, December 17 and 18, 2011
A fresh holiday tale for the 2011 performance season:
The Snow Queen comes to central New Jersey
PRINCETON, N.J. – Oct. 12, 2011 - A new take on Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale, The Snow Queen, will capture the imaginations of children and the young at heart of all ages this winter, offering holiday revelers an alternative to the traditional Nutcracker.
Risa Kaplowitz, cofounder of the not-for-profit organization, DanceVision (with former American Ballet Theater ballerina Susan Jaffe) and founder of D.A.N.C.E. (Dance As a Necessary Component of Education), has just finished choreographing The Snow Queen.
“This isn’t the same old holiday show,” Kaplowitz says. “There’s more depth to it; it has a moral, an archetypal conflict. It’s good versus evil as told through beautiful ballet and gorgeous music by Grieg, Bartok, and Rimsky-Korsakov.”
The tale of a young boy, Kai, saved by his best friend, Gerda, is one for the ages. The Snow Queen takes Kai when his heart turns cold. Gerda’s quest to rescue her friend takes her through a land of eternal summer, a royal palace, and a band of wild robbers. A reindeer named Bae and a Lapland Sorceress show Gerda that her love and will are strong enough to rescue Kai. The Angels battle the Queen’s Ice Maidens and triumph: Gerda at last finds Kai. Her hug warms his heart and he is released from the Snow Queen’s evil clutches.
“The amazing projection artwork we’re using as a ‘backdrop,’ created by Dave Haneman, virtually moves with the dancers, transforming the stage into another space and time. There are more than 70 performers and 140 original costumes,” Kaplowitz says.
Although the original story does not take place during the holiday season, Kaplowitz has tweaked the time frame to make it a holiday ballet. It even includes Julemanden, Denmark's traditional version of Santa Claus, in the festive opening village scene.
Kaplowitz knows how to weave a story through dance and music. Four years ago, she choreographed The Secret Garden for DanceVision, based on another literary classic and now a local springtime favorite. A principal ballerina with Dayton Ballet, Kaplowitz was also a member of Houston Ballet and Manhattan Ballet, and performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. She has trained with some of the best and performed the repertoire of many noted choreographers.
The show will be held at Kendall Hall Theater at The College of New Jersey on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. For more information visit www.dancevisionnj.org, call (609) 520-1020, or email info@dancevisionnj.org. Follow the making of The Snow Queen at www.dvsnowqueen.blogspot.com.
