Civic Ballet to present 'Snow Queen,' annual St. Jude fundraiser this weekend
Nov. 16—TUPELO — A mix of trained dancers and first-time performers will regale audiences with an icy tale of good versus evil this weekend, and all for a good cause.
The North Mississippi Dance Center and Tupelo-based Civic Ballet will present its 11th annual Hope for the Holidays performance this Saturday and Sunder, Nov. 18 and 19, at the Tupelo High School Performing Arts Center. Saturday's show opens at 7 p.m., and Sunday's performance begins at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids. As is tradition, proceeds will be used to further the cancer-fighting research at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis.
For the past six years, Hope for the Holidays has featured a dance interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," likely known to contemporary audiences as the inspiration for Disney's popular animated movie "Frozen." According to Artistic Director Thom Yzaguirre, who adapted the story for the pre-professional ballet company, "Snow Queen" — with its icy setting and classic fairy tale structure — seemed to be a good fit for the annual fundraiser.
"Hope for the Holidays has always traditionally been done the week before Thanksgiving, so it's not really a holiday quite yet ... but going into the holiday spirit," Yzaguirre said. "'Snow Queen' is kind of a winter tale, but also a tale of good versus evil. We thought that would make a good mix for Hope for the Holidays."
"Snow Queen" tells the story of a young girl who must rescue a loved one from the icy clutches of the titular Snow Queen.
Although it shares DNA with Disney's popular interpretation, "Snow Queen" is a wholly different story, and one with which audiences may not be as familiar. This makes for an interesting challenge when adapting the tale to dance.
"It's not a typical story that might be as familiar (to audiences)," Yzaguirre said. For their spring shows, the ballet company has performed more familiar tales like "Cinderella, "" Sleepy Beauty" and "The Wizard of Oz," the narrative beats of which have been a part of people's lives since childhood. "Even if you're not familiar with ballet, you're familiar with the story."
To help audiences follow along, the Civic Ballet's adaptation features narration during scene transitions.
"It's a good way to transition from scene to scene, but it's also a good way to tell the audience what's going on," Yzaguirre said.
Performances for Hope for the Holidays feature a mix of trained dancers from the ballet company itself and newcomers, some as young as 4 years old. According to Yzaguirre, who's been teaching dance for nearly 30 years, having young, untrained dancers work with members of the dance company is a great way to spread the love of ballet.
Seeing that passion and skill develop over time is special, Yzaguirre said.
"When I first left dancing, I enjoyed the performance part of it, and when I stopped, I thought I would really miss it," Yzaguirre said. "But I think by going in and teaching now, I enjoy handing off the baton to the next group. It's exciting to see these kids develop and grow."
The dancer performing as the Snow Queen this year is a senior in high school. She performed as a reindeer the first year Yzaguirre directed the show, and she's developed into a skilled performer.
"She's a beautiful dancer, with polished artistry," he said. "She's looking really strong, and that just comes from the repetition and the experience. As a teacher, that's really rewarding to see."
