COMMUNITY News:ALBUQUERQUE ― To the delight of audience members of all ages, the New Mexico Philharmonic and the New Mexico Ballet will perform Alice in Wonderland at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at Popejoy Hall in Albuquerque.
The newly appointed artistic director of the New Mexico Ballet, Natalie Harris, has created an extraordinary ballet telling of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice stories, which are the basis of a successful 2010 Johnny Depp movie and its soon-to-be-released sequel, Alice through the Looking Glass.
This fantastical ballet, featuring Alice, the Mad Hatter, Tweedledum, Tweedledee and more favorite Carroll characters, will showcase a mixture of entertaining classic and contemporary elements with the help of community partners. Movable costume pieces have been crafted using the 3D model software SketchUp and 3D printers led by innovators from Intel and CNM.
“Alice in Wonderland is not your typical fairytale ballet. Uncanny, strange and quirky are just a few words I use to describe this wonderful ballet,” said Natalie Harris, New Mexico Ballet Company (NMBC) artistic director and choreographer of Alice in Wonderland.
Conducted by associate concertmaster and New Mexico native David Felberg, the NMPhil will perform memorable music, including Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 and Alexander Glazunov’s “Winter,” “Summer” and “Autumn” from The Seasons.
“I am excited about our collaboration, now in its 4th year,” Marian Tanau, NMPhil executive director said. “This collaboration has led to out-of-the-box programming of story ballet performances set to wonderful, live music from the Phil and performed at the highest artistic standards by the New Mexico Ballet Company.”
NMBC dancer Amanda Murray said, “Performing Alice in Alice in Wonderland is fulfilling a childhood dream. It has been amazing having the opportunity, with the challenges of all the dancing and acting, as well as the fun of dancing with everyone in the company.”
Reserved tickets range from $20 to $68 and are $10 for students with a valid student ID. Tickets are available online through nmphil.org and unmtick; in person at UNM Ticket Offices at The Pit, UNM Bookstores and Albertsons Supermarkets in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe; also by phone at 505.925.5858.
