PLATTSBURGH — See outtakes from a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical fantasy when the Adirondack Dance Company presents “An Evening of the Arts featuring ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”
Catch the show Friday at 7 p.m. in the E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium, Hawkins Hall, on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus.
This is the premiere of the full-length classical ballet in the Plattsburgh area.
“Recently, some really big ballet companies have done this ballet,” Kathy Koester, Adirondack Dance Company artistic director, said.
“Some are doing it in a more contemporary type of way. Our version is taking some of the music from the movie, instrumentals and also combining it with original compositions.
“It was a difficult show to put together because there is a lot of movement with things flying and things coming in and off the stage. Some of my top students really wanted to do it, so we decided we would do it this year.”
Dancing the role of Dorothy is Allie Yanulavich, a Malone High School junior. Other casting includes Charlotte Smith, a Saranac High junior, as the Scarecrow; Claire Smith, a Saranac sophomore, as the Tin Man; Julia Hertel, a Plattsburgh High junior, as the Cowardly Lion; and Lilah Isecke as the lovable woof-woof “Toto.” The Wicked Witch of the West will be played by Ella Slick, a Beekmantown junior, and Glinda the Good Witch will be played by Elsa Isecke, a Peru freshman.
“One of my favorite scenes, besides the tornado, we have a poppy scene where we have poppies dancing. We have one gigantic poppy that is made out of a children’s parachute where we painted red poppies all over this 12-foot and 24-foot wide poppy,” Koester said. “Someone is in the center, and we make it undulate like it’s a poppy moving in the wind.
“It’s a ballet that will appeal to all ages. I think older people will like it because they remember the movie. They watched it a lot; I know I did. I used to watch it every year,” Koester said.
The Adirondack Dance Company will tell the complete story with winged monkeys, the Emerald City dancers and the Far-from-Fab Four.
“We put back in a scene that was cut from the movie. It’s called ‘Jitterbug,”’ she said.
“In the Broadway musical, that piece of movie is put back in, but in the movie, they took it out because they thought it would date the movie because the jitterbug was a popular dance in 1939 when the movie came out … But you can see Judy Garland doing it on a YouTube outtake from the movie. We put that music back in.”
Oz fanatics may not have noticed when the Wicked Witch tells the Flying Monkeys she’s going to send Winged Insects to meet the Yellow Brick Road travelers.
“But we never see that in the movie, and no one ever questions why that happens, but we put it back in. and the insects are going to fly around the audience and go back onstage to do the actual jitterbug steps,” Koester said.
“It’s got a lot of upbeat music and music that people will recognize. ‘Over the Rainbow’ is the iconic Judy Garland. It’s the only music that I used that has words to it in the ballet. I just thought, ‘How can you have that music without having her sing it?’”
The “Wizard of Oz” will be the first act of the performance. The company’s second act will include other local musical talent, along with contemporary and classical dance, local musical talent and Broadway musical numbers.
“It was fun to choreograph. It was a lot of fun working with all the different age levels and the principal dancers,” Koester said.
“I think they’ve enjoyed it to because they had to add acting to it. You couldn’t just dance this part like a classical ballet. You had to act it. You had to be a Scarecrow. You had to be a Tin Man. They had to expand on their dancing talents with acting, too.”
Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and children.
Purchase tickets online at 27613.danceticketing.com, by calling 518-335-7385 or at the door.