November 2017 - Let Us Entertain You: Keshet Brings "Alice" to the stage
Just one year after we said goodbye to a New Mexico staple, Nutcracker on the Rock, Shira Greenberg, Founder & Artistic Director of Keshet Dance, didn’t wait any time to bring a new show to the stage inspired from a childhood classic. Alice, an adventure of wonder and wondering is a dance performance and live arts experience for the whole family, incorporating a lively score, with great classic rock, jazz, and more! Greenberg’s latest creation took less than a year to create. “It's been about a 10 month process,” Greenberg shared. “After Nutcracker on the Rocks closed last December, I began working on the idea, concepts, story-line, musical selections, etc. Then we starting some preliminary rehearsals with a few company dancers to play with movement phrases and flesh out the storyline a bit more, then auditions were held in early August followed by rehearsals which started mid-August, and we will have the full show developed by the time we open in November!”
Shira finds inspiration for new projects everywhere she looks. When it was time to choose a new one, it all started with a list. “When we made the decision to close Nutcracker on the Rocks, I made a big list of all the things that I loved about that show...the energy of the cast, the camaraderie that occurs through the rehearsal process, the high expectations we hold for excellence from each of the dancers, the fun musical score, the enjoyment we see from the audience, the adventurous story-line that we get to explore within the production, and I wanted to find a story that would provide space for all of these things to continue to occur. I toyed with a variety of ideas, but Alice really stood out as the right fit for this next production.”
Needless to say, Alice has some big shoes to fill following Nutcracker on the Rocks. Like Nutcracker, Alice is a large production with a cast of 135 professional and community dancers aged 8 – 80. Greenberg shared what attendees can expect from this show. “Audiences can expect to see a similar high energy from the cast, an equally incredible soundtrack (Alice includes music from Stevie Nicks, Queen, Cat Stevens, Ben Harper, Christian McBride, and much more!), and a really fun story of adventure! This show definitely maintains the Keshet flavor with new characters to love!”
Alice, an adventure of wonder and wondering will run from November 10th-19th at The Keshet Center for the Arts and 4121 Cutler Ave NE. Tickets can be purchased at Keshetarts.org.