Submitted by Studio West Dance Theatre
Jump down the rabbit hole and hang on to your teacups! You are in for a fantastical ride as Studio West Dance Theatre brings the wacky wonderful world of Alice in Wonderland to the Olympia stage. Performances will take place May 3 – 5 at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
Studio West first premiered the ballet in Olympia in 2014, and it was an instant audience favorite. Alice in Wonderland is arguably one of the most oft quoted stories of all time, so it was quite daunting for Stephanie Wood-Ennett to consider bringing this story to the stage as a ballet, without any dialog. “The characters of Alice in Wonderland are so iconic, and yet there is no blueprint on how the choreography or the staging should look. The freedom to interpret the story and create our own vision was also the challenge in mounting this production.”
To bring Alice’s iconic scenes and characters to life, Stephanie and her co-choreographers, Marianna Ramsour and Erin Pattillo, chose music that inspired their vision for each scene: the serene beauty of ocean waves for the Sea of Tears, the allure of the captivating Caterpillar, the quirky gestures of the preening Flamingos. “We gave ourselves the freedom to choose music that visually illustrates each scene or character, no matter the genre. You will hear classical, romantic tango, Middle Eastern, and selections from movie scores. Each scene stands alone, and yet they all fit perfectly together to allow this familiar story to unfold in unexpected ways. Honestly, we didn’t know how it would all come together when we started the production, but our audience members loved it, and told us they had discovered something new and exciting in this beloved and familiar story.”
This year’s performance of Alice in Wonderland promises to be even more elaborate than the debut production. Alice’s stage manager, Rachel Zeigler, shares “We are so excited to be doing Alice again, so we can implement all the ideas we’ve been coming up with since our last run. We want even more wonkiness, more color, and more scenery to fully immerse our audience in Wonderland. We have added three new professional backdrops to the show, more roles and costumes, and more Cheshire Cat appearances.”
The heart of the production still remains with the talented and graceful dancers who impart their own personality and artistry to these quirky characters. Cole McMason, who has been a student with Studio West for the past nine years, has the double pleasure of performing in the Alice in Wonderland production for both Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) and Studio West. He was featured in the corps de ballet in OBT’s production, and is now dancing in the role of the White Rabbit in Studio West’s upcoming Alice. Cole shares his experience balancing work in both productions “It was crazy for about 5 weeks when I was rehearsing for both productions at the same time, 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, but I loved it, and I learned so much! Watching the OBT principal dancer in the role of White Rabbit, I saw that much of his rehearsal time was spent on perfecting the little mannerisms that brings a rabbit to life, the little hops, the way he stands or holds his paws, so that every moment on stage, the audience sees a rabbit, not a man in a rabbit costume. It’s those mannerisms and characteristics that I work on and incorporate into my performance.”
Cole is currently studying on a full merit scholarship at OBT while continuing to rehearse and dance at Studio West on weekends. “Studio West will always be home to me – it’s where I fell in love with dance. When I come back on weekends to take class and rehearse, I feel like I’m still a part of the studio. My friends are here, and we dance and connect like we’ve always done. I hope I can continue to stay connected.”
Don’t be late for this very important date! Matinee and evening performances are at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, May 3 – 5. Tickets are available at the box office, 360-753-8586, or online at The Washington Center for Performing Arts website.
