Ah, the wonderland of ballet. Beauty, grace, charm, divine athleticism – and the occasional demanding directive, “Off with their heads!”
At least, that will be the case when the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) offers its multi-media extravaganza Wonderland, a version of Lewis Carroll’s classic in The Banff Centre’s Eric Harvie Theatre, Sunday (March 20) at 7:30 p.m.
Wonderland, RWB’s version of Alice in Wonderland, premiered March 9 in Winnipeg to acclaim from those who took in the performance, said artistic director André Lewis.
Lewis, a former RWB dancer and student, said he is always back of house when a new ballet opens. He likes to make himself available to those wanting to comment on any given production.
Wonderland, he said, has been in the RWB works for three years, since the concept was first picked and choreographer Shaun Hounsell approached. In prepartion for the staging of Wonderland, Hounsell, a former company dancer himself, began intermittent rehearsals a year ago.
“He likes to work on something for a couple of weeks at a time, then let it swim in his mind, then come back to it,” said Lewis.
The RWB company numbers 26 dancers, Canadian and internationals alike, with many having up to 15 years experience with the ballet.
“We thought Wonderland would be a good addition for us,” said Lewis. “We didn’t want to complicate the story, but the broad strokes are there. Technically, this ballet is very demanding, with a contemporary feel. We didn’t want it to have a 19th century feel.”
Costumes (by Anne Armit) also have a contemporary feel.
“Wonderland has a surreal feel, but then, it’s such a wild world she (Alice) enters. It’s not a romantic story, but there are beautiful connections that resonate with you and a resonance with the public is very important.”
From Hounsell’s viewpoint and choreography, Wonderland presents the story of an older woman looking back and remembering a beautiful dream.
Along with the actual dance, Wonderland presents a wide range of multi-media effects, including electro-acoustic sound. Picture the large eyes of the Cheshire Cat looming on stage as they are projected onto a backdrop.
“The projection gives a completely different look than painted sets,” said Lewis. “There’s an enormous amount of projection onto panels and backgrounds. It gives a real 3-D feel.
“The ballet has a very high tempo; everything is larger than life and the entire story is played out in motion. The music also has a contemporary feel which is left of the cursor and has a wackiness to it.”
Music is by composers John Estacio, Brian Current and Josef Strauss.
Wonderland is for all ages and includes all the classic Alice characters people will recognize; the Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit.
“There is no nudity, no violence and it is very witty and irreverent,” said Lewis. “Wonderland tries to echo the tone of the book and I think all ages will appreciate it.”
In offering something for all ages, RWB also offers something for everyone in general – from dancers to the general public.
“We are fairly egalitarian,” said Lewis. “A company needs to have steady work and it’s up to the choreographer to say who would be great for a certain part. Just because you’re a core dancer doesn’t mean you have a solo.
“And we do offer something for everyone, including young people. If we don’t get young people interested, we won’t have an audience and ballet is not just for critics and those involved in dance, it’s for everyone, people from all walks of life.
“We want to make ballet accessible, not just for devotees or those who wear a cravat. You can’t just think of critics or those in the field of dance; it’s about communicating and there is less communication if you are talking only to peers.
“I feel ballet is for everyone. It’s not just art for its own sake. At the end of the day, you want to be successful to be able to build an audience.”
In fact, said Lewis, RWB’s motto is ‘Something for everyone to enjoy’ – which is perhaps why, he said, the successful Royal Winnipeg Ballet is the first company in Canada, the second oldest company in North America and the longest continually running company.
“This has always been a community-based organization and it was born of what this city is all about. When this company started in 1939, there were no ballet companies in Canada, so it was all new.
“When two ladies started this company (Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally), they started it from a very small seed and it’s grown to become what it is today.”
The company began touring Canada in 1945 and received its royal title in 1953, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Wonderland is staged in two acts, with an intermission. The ballet was co-produced by The Banff Centre. Tickets are available through the box office at 403-762-6301 or 1-800-413-8368.
