More than 150 children, 500 costumes and 30 dance numbers made up a “fantastic” performance at the Theatre Royal.
Winchester dance school Intergr8 Dance recreated Aladdin at the beginning of June for its annual stage show, with a new take on why villains are bad.
Written and directed by dance teacher Ellie Routledge, Integr8’s adaptation of the story which follows a street urchin who falls in love with a princess was hailed the school’s “best show yet”.
Each of the 12 dance classes, ranging from street dance and contemporary to cheerleading, were delegated two dances each to tell the twisted tale with a main cast of 30 students.
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Parent Candice Collins, whose daughter played Jasmine, said: “It was a fantastic show of Aladdin and gave so many children from our community the opportunity to perform dancing, acting and singing, and have loads of fun.
“I watched a couple of performances and felt it was their best show yet. I couldn’t help overhear other local people watching who were impressed by the calibre of the show.”
Director Ellie said: “I am so interested by the idea of good and evil in these stories, which is so different from how I see the world. At different times in our life we play both the hero and the villain.
“My intention is always to find out why the characters do the things they do. For this, I paid homage to my mother, who is suffering with dementia.
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“The first half of Aladdin seems like a street dance version of the tale, same story same characters, same bumbling sultan who we think is being manipulated by Jafar.
“However, in the second half we understand this is not Jafar’s doing, he is becoming more and more forgetful. The twist comes at the end, where the sultan describes Jafar acquiring a magic healing item to help him remember.
“Jasmine enters having realised what will save her father, to Aladdin who has freed the genie out of spite not yet knowing what Jafar wanted it for.
“We all have reasons for doing things, whether they be perceived as good or bad, they are the best we can do at that moment. This is what is important to me.”
For more information on Interg8 Dance, based at Unit 12 in Winnall, go to integr8dance.com/.
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