Troupe reconfigures fairy tale to underscore the fun in dance

By providing the promise of a snack and a chance to meet a performer and dance in the aisles, the Oyo Dance Company is going all-out to make a good first impression with children.

The year-old Columbus company will present “Hansel and Gretel,” its first performance geared toward children, on Saturday at the Columbus Performing Arts Center.

Elizabeth Weiss, president of the board at Oyo, said the group plans to produce an annual children’s show.

“We want the arts to be accessible to more people, and we want them to understand that dance isn’t just about a field trip to see ‘ The Nutcracker’ or that stereotypical image of being dragged to the ballet,” Weiss said.

“We want people to know that dance can be fun, engaging and expressive in so many ways.”

That mission will be reinforced on Saturday with a pre-performance session featuring crafts and snacks.

During the show, cast members will lead the audience in a dance that children can perform in the aisles.

Afterward, the audience is invited to stay for question-and-answer and photo sessions with the cast.

The targeted age group is preschool to third grade, said Artistic Director Rachel Nace Maynard.

“When I was performing, it was more important to me to do really good concert pieces and have good choreography, things like that,” Maynard said. “But now that I have children (ages 8, 6 and 2), I really want them to appreciate really good art.

“So I want to make sure we create something that will be specifically geared toward getting the younger generation into this art at a very high level.”

Adam Maynard, husband of Rachel Nace Maynard, will perform as Hansel; Hayley Platt will dance as Gretel.

In selecting “Hansel and Gretel,” Maynard said, the company opted for a twist on the fairy tale.

“If you read the original,” Maynard said, “it’s pretty grim, with a witch who actually eats the kids — and there’s no real moral to the story.”

In the Oyo version, Hansel and Gretel fall asleep and the entire encounter with the witch is a dream sequence.

“The kids were told to come straight home and not stop in the woods,” Maynard said. “So the message here is to listen to your parents.”

The dancing itself will be a mix of styles: ballet, modern and a hint of German folk — a nod to the fairy tale’s German origin.

The performance will last about 35 minutes, but Weiss recommends allowing about an hour for participation in activities before and after the show.