The story of Aladdin comes to life on stage through movement and storytelling in Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp onSaturday, June 4 at 2:00 & 7:00pm, and Sunday, June 5 at 2:00pm at the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College. Performed by the MoCo Arts School of Dance, this creative and family-friendly show features students 2nd – 12th grade dancing ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop dance.
Aladdin is a poor boy whose life turns upside down when he comes across a magical lamp. This two-act production features snake charmers, gypsies, a royal parade, and a genie set free from a magical lamp.
Sarah Foucher is dancing the role of Jasmine in this performance. “I have been dancing with MoCo for 12 years,” Says Foucher, a senior at MC2 Charter School, and dancer at MoCo Arts. “Partnering is relatively new to me. Harry Warshaw, who dances Aladdin, and I have been working together with the partnering, tuning into each other through the movements. We have been rehearsing under the careful direction of Reagan Messer, the Artistic Director, learning to dance as one while developing our characters.”
The MoCo Arts School of Dance offers a variety of classes for kids grades 2nd through 12th, with many levels of each discipline available. Kids younger than 2nd grade are invited to join MoCo’s Creative Dance program, a fun introduction to different styles of dance. Classes focus on the technical development of each student, learning the fundamentals of each discipline. MoCo welcomes all students where they are in their movement and creative arts journey – beginners through advanced.
“The most exciting thing about being an audience member at a MoCo Arts performance is seeing all the students on stage with a love for dance and movement,” says Foucher. “We are lucky to be able to share that love in a fun and professional environment, I hope everyone enjoys watching this show as much as I’ve enjoyed dancing it!”
Tickets to Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp are $20 general admission, $14 youth & senior. To purchase tickets, please visit the Redfern Arts Center Box Office or call (603) 358-2168. Purchase your tickets online at www.moco.org. For more information about Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp and MoCo Arts visit www.moco.org. Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp is funded in part by a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s John and Maude Corser Fund.
MoCo Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, multi-arts educational organization located in downtown Keene offering dance and theatre classes and multi-arts vacation and summer camps for children ages 18 months to 18+ years. As part of the educational process, MoCo Arts provides professional performance experience for students and family-friendly performances for audiences of all ages throughout the year. Funding for MoCo Arts is provided in part by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation – Monadnock Region, the Ruth and James Ewing Fund for the Monadnock Region, the John and Maude Corser Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information please visit MoCo Arts, 76 Railroad Street, Keene, NH 03431 or www.moco.org
Photo caption: “Dancers Sarah Foucher and Harry Warshaw rehearse for their roles as Aladdin and Jasmine in Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp.”