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The Animals of the Snow Queen

Various animals play a part in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen." In DanceVision's ballet, there are doves, a raven and a reindeer. Of course, these parts are all played by dancers who must bring characteristics of the animal to life in the role. There's a challenge in doing so in ballet so that the audience understands the intention without the movement becoming too campy or too much of a caricature.

Here we see choreographer Risa Kaplowitz explaining how reindeer move as she begins to set choreography on Josiah Foster who dances the part of Bae (pronounced "bay"), a reindeer. Watch as real life reindeer behavior is translated into dance.

The Town Kids

We have taken to calling the children dancing in the first act's town scene the "Town Kids." They had their first rehearsal recently.  While not as raucous as the scene in the robbers' camp, this is definitely a joyous, celebratory scene as everyone gathers in the town square to celebrate Christmas Eve Day.

Some of the boys in the town scene.

Some of the young dancers in this scene are having their first introduction to character dancing. Character dancing is seen in many classical ballets. It consists of theatricalized versions of  mainly European folk dances such as the mazurka, the tarantella, and in this case, the polka. It was clear from the smiles and laughter that everyone was having fun learning the choreography.

Annabel Azaro and Eric Simon

The two smallest cast members in this scene,
Hope Blair and Leo Foster, take a turn.

Rehearsals: Week 1

It is simply amazing to watch the story of "The Snow Queen" suddenly come to life through the rehearsals. This entry will bring you a few glimpses from the first day of rehearsals.

Above, the ice maidens pose in a sequence from the Snow Queen's ice palace.

Act 2 of the production opens with a look at a raucous group of robbers, dancing and celebrating. Below, Mariel Edokwe and Morgan Wade try out dancing in an early prototype of robber costumes.

There are dancers of all ages in this scene, including real life brother and sister, Arman and Persis Rao.

Marie Alonzo Snyder and Pablo Davila practice a lift as Leland Schwantes and Annie Connors Schwantes listen for direction.

Finally, director/choreographer Risa Kaplowitz demonstrates a lift.

Stay tuned for much more! Our costumers have been traveling all over New York and New Jersey, collecting fabrics, trims and notions and will have more sneak peaks in the weeks to come. We'll also bring you interviews with director, Risa Kaplowitz, some of our dancers and other members of the production team.