'Snow Queen'
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Above: Ballerinas from Today’s Generation Dance practice a number from ‘The Snow Queen.’ The company will present the ballet the first weekend in January. Below: A soloist practices a selection from the ballet.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald A soloist practices a selection from ‘The Snow Queen.’ The ballet is scheduled for the first weekend in January.
MOSES LAKE — The tale of the icy Snow Queen, her cruel magic and an innocent, brave girl searching for her foster brother will come to the stage Jan. 6 and 7, courtesy of Today’s Generation Dance Company.
“The Snow Queen” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan 6 and 2 and 7 p.m. Jan 7 at the Moses Lake High School theater, 803 East Sharon Ave. It’s based on the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. Choreography is by director Naomi Hanvey, assisted by Courtney Papenfuss, one of the company’s jazz instructors.
The ballet, and the story it’s based on, tell the tale of Gerda, Jana Osborne in the Today’s Generation production, searching the world for her foster brother. “We set out to play and we’re all happy together,” Jana said, but alas, the kids encounter the evil magic mirror. Look into the mirror, and “you can’t be good. You only see evil,” Jana said.
Her brother disappears and is thought to be dead, but an even worse fate has befallen him. He has encountered the Snow Queen, played by Maddie Hesse.
“I am the evil Snow Queen and he gets his heart frozen by me,” Maddie said. That’s bad – he forgets his adoptive sister and his whole life. He follows the Snow Queen to her impenetrable palace, deep in the forest.
Gerda doesn’t think he’s dead. She goes out to search for him, and “the play is me going through the wilderness to find him,” Jana said. She meets people along the way, some who help her, some who mislead her or try to stop her. But eventually she finds the Snow Queen’s palace.
The cruel Snow Queen is a departure from the roles Maddie usually has played, she said. “It’s actually really hard for me to do this part,” she said. “But it’s super-fun, too.”
The ballet is based on a classic story, but it’s told in a more contemporary style than the “Nutcracker,” Jana said. The tempo is a little quicker, her role is required to dance a little faster “and that’s more challenging for me,” she said.
Hanvey said this is the first time the company has performed a winter ballet, rather than a ballet recital. “The Snow Queen” was on the list of possibilities for a spring performance. “But it’s a winter theme story, and who wants to do that in April or May?” Hanvey said. Depending on the reception for “The Snow Queen,” the company is considering presenting a winter ballet in years when it isn’t performing “The Nutcracker.”
Hanvey said she saw “The Snow Queen” on television as a child, and thought it was a scary story. As an adult she read the original story, and rather than being scary, it was a tale of friendship and loyalty, she said, featuring strong female characters.
Tickets can be purchased on the Today’s Generation website; price is $7 or $10, depending on the seat. Tickets are $9 or $12 at the door, depending on the seat.