BY KAREN BOSSICK
“Snow Queen,” that haunting fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, will take the stage in dance form this coming weekend when Footlight Dance Centre presents its annual spring show.
Dancers will perform at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater at the Community Campus in Hailey.
“This production is going to be stunning,” said Artistic Director Hilarie Neely. “I am so proud of how professional our advanced dancers are dancing this year. Of course, the remainder of our students are working hard, too, to make for an amazing show.”
The fairy tale written in by the Danish story teller in 1844 is perhaps the most celebrated of all of his tales. It explores the concepts of good and evil, respect, perseverance and loyalty.
A hobgoblin has created a mirror that magnifies ugly evil things and shrinks good and pretty things. When it breaks into pieces, one of those pieces gets caught in the eye of Kai, a young boy, turning his open heart to ice and leaving him to see only the ugliness in things.
When he is taken under the wing of the Snow Queen, his BFF Gerda sets off on a journey, encountering various characters along the way, including a crow, a vagabond and a nomad, until she arrives at the Snow Palace where she hopes to save her friend.
Disney adapted the story for its animated hit “Frozen.”
Footlight’s Snow Queen will be played by Hazel Ludwig, a senior at Wood River High School. Ava Knowles and Leo Star will play Gerda and Kai. Piper Kolb will play the Crow; Lilia Page, the Princess, and Bridgette Silva the Rose.
Georgia Geagan will play the Nomad and Riley Jessen, the Vagabond.
All of these dancers, except Leo Star, are seniors who are performing their last show with Footlight Dance after years of perfecting their pirouettes.
Being part of the Snow Queen has been incredibly impactful,” said Bridgette Silva. “I have learned how much dedication and passion it takes from everyone involved and how much I love to dance. I am so grateful and excited to be part of this production!”
In all, 210 dancers, ranging in age from 5 to 18, will dance ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and tap to make the show come alive.
Guest choreographer Kioa Delos Reyes created the advanced hip hop piece and Mackenzie King, the intermediate modern. Other choreography was created by Footlight instructors Gabi Bryant, Allani Fostvedt, Robyn Fox, Shellrae Garnes, Hayley Henderson, Melodie Taylor-Mauldin, Bronwyn McGary, Hilarie Neely, Leah Taylor, Kassidy Thompson and Anne Winton.
Tickets are $10, available in advance at the Community Campus and Iconoclast Books in Hailey and at Independent Goods and Hank & Sylvie’s in Ketchum.
Now in its 39th year, Footlight Dance Centre is based in its main studio in the Community Campus with satellite studios at Studio Move and the Wood River YMCA in Ketchum and the Hailey Grange Hall.
Questions? call Neely at 208-578-5462 or contact footlightdance@gmail.com. The website is www.footlightdance.com.