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Augusta Youth Ballet to offer 'Alice'
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BUCKHANNON – The Augusta Youth Ballet Company will bring “the imaginative and mischievous characters” of Lewis Carroll to the stage next weekend with their performance of “Alice in Wonderland.”
The ballet will be presented at the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Opening night is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Two more performances will be offered Saturday, Nov. 21, with a 1 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. showing.
With creative direction by Nina Scattaregia, 37 dancers with the Augusta Youth Ballet Company will take to the stage. The ballet will feature a musical score created by Carl Davis, who arranged the score with music by the famous Russian composer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
“In the heart of West Virginia, the Augusta Youth Ballet Company, under the creative direction of Nina M. Scattaregia, invites the community to an evening filled with whimsical adventure with the imaginative and mischievous characters of Alice in Wonderland,” an event announcement states. “The entire cast brings all of your favorite characters from the world of Alice in Wonderland to life for this family favorite!”
The Ballet Company dancers range from 8 years old to 17, and hail from Upshur, Lewis, Barbour, Harrison and Randolph counties.
Performing the role of the King of Hearts will be Aiden Farabaugh, who attends West Virginia University as a dance andadvertising double major. Alice will be portrayed by Arden X. Payne, who is a senior at Philip Barbour High School.
Additional lead roles will be performed by high school company members. This includes Ianna Gail Carillo as the Queen of Hearts, Kinsley Ripley as the White Rabbit, Alyssa Workman as the Mad Hatter, Elinor Nuttall as the March Hare, Jade Parsons as the Dormouse, Macey Campbell as the Lead Flamingo, Teresa Benjamin as the Caterpillar, and Sadie Wilt and Susannah Starks as the Cheshire Cats.
Founded in 1998, the Augusta Youth Ballet Company has “continued to delight audiences” with full-length ballets and repertories by Nina Scattaregia and guest choreographers each year, a release states. The company, based at The Dance Factory in north-central West Virginia, allows members to perform and train in a professional setting within their community. The Augusta Youth Ballet Company is a 501c3 semi-professional ballet company.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.thedancefactorywv.com.
Arden X. Payne, a senior at Philip Barbour High School, will be performing the role of Alice.