Anne Summers (foreground) will dance the principal role of Alice in the upcoming Cache Valley Civic Ballet production of ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ The ballet is slated to be preformed Mar. 15 and 16 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre in downtown Logan.
LOGAN – Now in its 41st season, the Cache Valley Civic Ballet will perform the classic tale Alice in Wonderland at the Ellen Eccles Theatre in downtown Logan on Mar. 15 and 16.
With music by Peter Tchaikovsky, this ballet is based on Lewis Carroll’s ever-popular story of a girl who slides down a rabbit hole into a land where she meets the clever Knave of Hearts, the sly Caterpillar, the eccentric Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts and her dancing deck of cards.
This ballet is not only fun for the whole family, according to CVCB artistic director Sandy Emile, but youngsters will be able to see the production for free.
“The Cache Valley Civic Ballet (CVCB) is delighted to announce that it has received a generous sponsorship which will allow the ballet company to offer elementary school students free admission to attend our full-length Alice in Wonderland ballet in our lovely Ellen Eccles Theatre,” Emile adds.
“Our appreciation for the generosity of our local community and businesses cannot be expressed enough.”
The cast of Alice in Wonderland – led by Emile and associate artistic director Jaime Lindley – will include more than 30 auditioned ballet dancers and a public cast of about 25 elementary dancers.
The principal roles of Alice and the Queen of Hearts will be performed by senior company members Anne Summers and Laura Geertsen respectively.
They will be joined by guest artist Gordon Felesina, who will perform a pax de deux as the Knave of Hearts with Ms. Geertsen.
Felesina is familiar to local ballet enthusiasts, having previously performed during the CVCB’s production of The Nutcracker in 2023.
Emile says that fairy tale ballets combine the use of dancing, music and pantomime to tell their stories.
“It’s a sort of ballet sign language,” she adds, “to help audiences understand the story, adding depth and clarity to the plot. It has been part of the ballet art form since the 18th Century.”
“This ballet is a tale of wonder, magic, comedy and mischief,” Emile emphasizes. “It’s for the young and old alike.”
Alice in Wonderland will be performed Friday, Mar. 15 and Saturday, Mar. 16 at 7:30 p.m. each night. The ballet will also be performed as a matinee on Saturday, Mar. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets for those performances can be obtained by calling the Eccles box office at 435-752-0026 or going online to www.cachearts.org.
As an added attraction, the CVCB will offer a “Mad Hatter Tea Party” with characters from the ballet prior to the matinee performance on Mar. 16.
Guests will enjoy light refreshments, games and get a professional photo taken with Alice, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter or other characters that Alice meets along her way.
The tea party will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Bullen Center’s Carousel Ballroom.
Tickets for the “Mad Hatter Tea Party” can be purchased going online to https://ci.ovationtix.com/36675/store/products/90432.
The Ellen Eccles Theatre is located at 43 South Main St. in downtown Logan.