Setting the stage for a magic carpet ride
As the young ballerinas bustle about the school, Natasha takes a moment to share the journey of their upcoming performance with us. She explains that owing to the situation in the country, a certain doubt remained over continuing with the show. Unfortunately they didn’t have the option to postpone because a lot of the children were doing their O/ Ls and A/Ls and wouldn’t have been able to participate.
“I also didn’t want to disappoint them, especially with what’s going on,” she tells us.
After much deliberation amongst themselves and with the students and parents, they decided to go ahead with the show because they felt it was something positive for the kids to think about and work towards. “That was very hard, and it’s still hard. Of course we’re having
May 19, 2019
a lot of security and I’m not worried about the show itself in that sense, but daily it is a hard thing for anybody right now.”
‘Aladdin the ballet’ is something different to the movie or the cartoon, because the school had to create their own version from the story and adapted it to something that’s original. “I don’t think it’s anything that anybody’s seen before because it has a bit of fun, humour, excitement as well as the overall artistic aspect of these children who have worked so hard to do this performance,” she says.
From a director’s perspective, they tried keep as many elements of the renowned Aladdin story as possible. However as with any ballet, since there is no dialogue, Natasha tells us they had to incorporate other areas to “make the story make sense in the form of ballet.”
Owing to the number of students participating (over 600, as young as 2 years old and upwards) they have had to create more parts within that story. “We wanted to make sure that any child gets the opportunity to take part. So that’s what we’ve done,” Natasha says.
The school’s students with different backgrounds and other activities have found the time to make it for rehearsals, which is especially notable considering the current situation in the country.
“They keep having that excitement when they come into the studio and they leave happy, which is the best thing for me,” Natasha says. She adds this is all they want from the children. “We want them to come, work hard, enjoy and gain the satisfaction from the audience appreciating their hard work.”
The three directors themselves have worked hard on the choreography, the crucial aspect of the show. “There’s a very elaborate scene in the cave which you should look out