Young dancers in Petersburg will perform a creative spin on the Wizard of Oz this weekend, Dec. 14 and 15.
On Wednesday, several second graders rehearsed choreography for their yellow brick road jazz set, twirling, pointing fingers and swaying side to side on stage in the Wright Auditorium.
They dropped to the floor and practiced waving for the audience enthusiastically.
Their teacher from the studio, Kelsey Lambe, instructed a handful of the upcoming show’s dances. She said her favorite part about the show is the variety of music.
“There’s songs that … are inspired by the Wizard of Oz, but have a different feel to it,” said Lambe. “I think it’s really fun to just, like, create a new vision of Wizard of Oz through our eyes.”
She said the teachers reviewed the Wizard of Oz’s storyline and “recreated it” with “music that inspired us.”
Audience members attending the shows this weekend can expect to see a variety of outfits on stage, too.
“Costumes are such a journey. We all get to pick our own costumes and just kind of roll with it,” Lambe said. “Each costume is very unique.”
“I think you’ll find some performances funny … and others I think you will find, like, heartwarming,” said Lambe. “I watched the ballet last night and … [it] was a really beautiful piece.”
Days before opening night, high school ballerinas swept their ballet shoes back and forth on the glossy black stage during their rehearsal. Piano mixed with a dramatic beat set their tempo.
They stayed in unison when they peeled away, then drew in close to set up for a final pose at center-stage.
Dancers dedicated nine weeks of practice toward this upcoming performance. But this particular show was tucked away in the studio’s queue for years. The studio nearly finished producing a version of the Wizard of Oz in spring 2020, but didn’t end up performing it because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feeling ready for a bigger production than typically performed, the studio’s teachers collectively decided it was time to bring it back this winter.
Olivia Reid, Executive Director for Mitkof Dance Troupe, said the story of the Wizard of Oz was a “childhood favorite” for the teachers.
“We’ve kind of just been hanging on to it and waiting to do it again. And this was the year, so we’re really excited,” said Reid. “It’s just our interpretation of the Wizard of Oz.”
She said doing a show with a storyline that spans beyond a single theme is “extra fun to produce.”
“It’s so fun to see it all together … with the lights and the costumes,” said Reid. “The kids … they have so much fun performing. They really light up when the lights are on and the audience is here … it’s gonna be really fun.”
Tickets to MDT studio’s Wizard of Oz performance sold out on Friday. Opening night is on Saturday, Dec. 14 and the second showing is Sunday afternoon.
