‘Alice’ glides into Smith Center

Student dancers help Nevada Ballet Theatre premiere a timeless classic

Ithe beloved tale of a young girl who abandons her family’s party, runs after a white rabbit and tumbles through a rabbit hole. Only, in this version, she lands on The Smith Center stage.

Nevada Ballet Theatre will close its 47th season with the Las Vegas premiere of Septime Webre’s “Alice (In Wonderland)” this weekend.

And if the classic novel and multiple movies that followed evoke images of technicolor creatures, fantastical lands and eccentric characters, the ballet is sure to delight.

The ballet follows Alice as she navigates a strange world alongside a motley crew of friends — and enemies — including the Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter.

“It’s wonderful,” Nevada Ballet

Theatre’s artistic director

Roy Kaiser says. “It’s visually incredible. The sets and costumes are bright and vibrant. Plus, the choreography is stunning.”

The choreography is highlighted in a sequence between Alice, played by Betsy Lucas, and Cheshire Cat, portrayed by Steven Goforth.

The dance opens with Goforth taking on the stature of a cat, delighting Lucas’ Alice with purrs and pawing at her legs. Then, suddenly bipedal, they rush into an elaborate, aerobic routine.

In one sequence of lifts, Alice steps onto Cheshire Cat’s open palm. He hoists her into the air where she completes something like a midair cartwheel before falling with practiced clumsiness into his arms — upside-down and with legs splayed in either direction.

“This choreography in particular has quite challenging partnering aspects,” Lucas says. “Alice is kind of a ballerina character but also in and out of scenes with contemporary-style partnering. It’s flipping back and forth in this ballet move, then flexing my feet in the air — on purpose.”

The contemporary style comes forward to characterize Alice and Cheshire Cat with silly touches such as awkward