Chinook dancers put new spin on ‘Romeo and Juliet’
‘Urban Verona’ runs tonight through Friday
Chinook High School is staging a unique take on the story of “Romeo and Juliet” with a hiphop battle of the Capulets and the Montaques as part of the school’s upcoming dance production “Urban Verona,” spinning Shakespeare’s tragedy into more of a happily-ever-after version of events.
“In Shakespeare’s time comedy is when everybody gets together and everybody’s happy at the end,” said the show’s artistic director Alisha Hornberger.
“So we just thought, ‘why not change it and make it so everyone’s happy?’ There’s so much tragedy in our world anyways, so why not take this and put our own take on it?”
The production, which has been in the works since the beginning of the school year, involves approximately 50 students both on and off-stage. With most having studied “Romeo and Juliet” as a staple of Grade 10 English classes, that knowledge has shaped the decisions as they collaborated on how to tell the story through dance.
Each year’s dance productions try to do something different, says Hornberger, with past performances often being heavily influenced in contemporary or jazz styles.
“This year I’ve tried really hard to incorporate urban dance styles,” she said, hence the title “Urban Verona.”
“I think the audience will be kind of surprised by the direction that we take with the show, and by the setting, but I don’t think they’ll be too surprised because they’ve seen ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in so many different settings.”
The unique look at the age-old story should prove a great show, says Hornberger.
“It’s a really cool mixture of hip-hop and the story of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’”
“Urban Verona” runs today to Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Chinook Media Centre with tickets available through School Cash Online, the school’s textbook centre or by cash at the door.
Follow @IMartensHerald on Twitter