Rose Bianchini, Leslie Rosenberg and the Evolution Dance company want to fracture some fairy tales.
So, this group of around 30 dancers and 4 choreographers are twisting such stories as “Alice In Wonderland,” and “Sleeping Beauty. They get help from Goldilocks, Snow White, some witches a couple of princes and a funky kid called Little Red Riding Hood.
It all comes together in “A Fractured Fairy Tale,” Jan. 29-31, at 7 p.m. in Savannah Center. Proceeds benefit Operation Helping Hand for veterans.
Bianchini, plays the perpetually late White Rabbit — aka March Hare — whom Alice chases down a dark hole all the way to Wonderland.
“I fit this part, because I didn’t have to lose any weight to play it,” cracked Bianchini, prancing about the stage in her oversized white rabbit paws and Easter Bunny costume. “And I’m late.”
In the show, she teams with Carter Poust, as the Mad Hatter, as they sing and dance their way through the song, “I’m Late.”
Leslie Rosenberg dances the role as Alice.
“I have to remain innocent,” she said with a smile. “I love wearing my little girl dress and going to the tea party. I feel like a kid again, but the tea party is pretty jazzy.”
The whole idea was to turn familiar fairy tales upside down.
“We wanted to try something different,” said Diane Vargas, head of Evolution Dance, who said the company has been rehearsing for nearly six months. “Everybody knows these stories and these characters but we wanted to present them in a new way.”
So the Playing Card characters in “Alice In Wonderland” dance to Mary Poppins’ “Step in Time.”
Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs provide the rocking musical backdrop to Little Red Riding Hood (Yuri Sohn).
And what would better soothe Sleeping Beauty’s (Judy Jonas) feelings than that old standard, “Mr. Sandman.”
Cher rocks out on “Women’s World” as Dorothy (Mary Ann Dailey) from the Wizard of Oz, along with Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks (Mollie McCarthy) show their independence.
Tinkerbell (Diane Vargas) makes a house call with the whole cast as they combine ballet and soulful sounds on “Young At Heart” and “Ease On Down the Road.”
Put them all together and you have some really fractured fairy tales.
“This is a fun, crazy group and they fit right in – because this show is all about dance and they love to dance,” said Helene Yelverton, one of the choreographers. The others are Vargas, along with Cheri Lindell and Bonnie Felicicchia.
“We want the audience to have fun, but also to leave with a warm and friendly feeling,” Yelverton added.
