World Dance Styles Prominent In Wagon Wheel Jr.’s ‘Snow White And The Dancing Dwarfs’
January 31, 2018 at 8:27 p.m.
World Dance Styles Prominent In Wagon Wheel Jr.’s ‘Snow White And The Dancing Dwarfs’
By David [email protected]
Show times for the musical are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Tickets are $12 at the box office or online at wagonwheelcenter.org.
“It certainly is the classic tale. We get a bigger glimpse into the Mirror’s character, which is kind of fun. And the dwarfs are different than the Disney dwarfs in that they each have their own unique dance style and corresponding accent,” explained Director Kira Lace Hawkins.
Pokey dwarf has a German accent, and she does the polka. Tango has a Spanish accent and – obviously – does the tango. Waltzy has a British accent, while Tapper is kind of the dopey character, is mute and tap dances. Jiggles does the Irish jig and she has an Irish accent. Boots has a southern accent and does toe-stepping in his cowboy boots, while Tutu has a French accent.
“We’ve still got the Huntsman who threatens her, but spares her life, and she runs into the forest. One of the fun things is that the kids have been able to work with puppets. All the animals are actually kind of sophisticated puppets that the kids have learned to manipulate and bring to life, and they have their own characters as well,” Hawkins said.
The animals help Snow White find the dwarfs’ cottage.
The cast of 30 ranges in age from 9 to 18, and includes local kids as well as young actors from as far away as Fort Wayne.
“That’s actually a really interesting, I think, benefit of this junior program because it is such a wide age range and we’ve really, I hope, cultivated an atmosphere where the 18-year-olds are friends with the 9-year-olds and nurture them, and welcome them, and even the new kids are welcomed and brought into the group,” she said.
Hawkins said it’s a lot of fun to direct the wide range of young people.
The rehearsal schedule is similar to the professional Wagon Wheel’s summer schedule. “It’s just two weeks and they have their show ready. So it’s so fast, you just have to be really clear with direction and instruction, but then also allow them room to bring their own creativity and their own talents to the table. It’s a really fun process. Fast and furious,” she said.
During the week, they rehearse 3-1/2 hours a day. On weekends, rehearsals are eight hours Saturday and Sunday.
“They’re all passionate,” Hawkins said. “It’s a big time commitment. We’re also very thankful for our families for making that work because we ask that they don’t miss and they have to make it a priority as long as school work keeps up.”
Hawkins also directed last winter’s junior show, “Haphazardly Ever After,” and served as an assistant director for numerous other junior shows.
She said they want an audience of all ages to come to the show, even if they don’t know anyone in it.
“It’s an offering for the children of the community. We send flyers home to all the elementary schools, so they should know about it,” Hawkins said.
She then recalled an “interesting” tidbit about the Wagon Wheel’s connection to the writers of “Snow White and the Dancing Dwarfs.”
Hawkins said she and Wagon Wheel actress Jennifer Dow were in the dressing room back in December for “Miracle on 34th Street,” talking and planning for the junior show. When they mentioned the title of the junior show, a girl in the “Miracle” ensemble asked if every dwarf had their own accent. They said it did, and the girl said her parents wrote the upcoming musical.
A children’s theater in Cincinnati had commissioned a play, and now it performs “Snow White and the Dancing Dwarfs.”
“Actually, there it’s performed by adults, so this show was written to be performed by adults for kids to watch. So our student actors have really risen to the occasion. They’re playing these awesome roles with huge vocals and they’re doing really well with it,” Hawkins said. “But it’s just crazy we had a relationship with the writers. It’s really great.”
She said the songs are great and a little more sophisticated than some of the other junior shows.
The kids also are doing “great” with their accents, too, she said.
“They’ve really been embracing them. It’s again a really good challenge, and they only have one per actor, so we’ve really been able to hone that and work with them on that. But they’ve done a lot of work outside, too, and just came and jumped right on in,” she said.
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Show times for the musical are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Tickets are $12 at the box office or online at wagonwheelcenter.org.
“It certainly is the classic tale. We get a bigger glimpse into the Mirror’s character, which is kind of fun. And the dwarfs are different than the Disney dwarfs in that they each have their own unique dance style and corresponding accent,” explained Director Kira Lace Hawkins.
Pokey dwarf has a German accent, and she does the polka. Tango has a Spanish accent and – obviously – does the tango. Waltzy has a British accent, while Tapper is kind of the dopey character, is mute and tap dances. Jiggles does the Irish jig and she has an Irish accent. Boots has a southern accent and does toe-stepping in his cowboy boots, while Tutu has a French accent.
“We’ve still got the Huntsman who threatens her, but spares her life, and she runs into the forest. One of the fun things is that the kids have been able to work with puppets. All the animals are actually kind of sophisticated puppets that the kids have learned to manipulate and bring to life, and they have their own characters as well,” Hawkins said.
The animals help Snow White find the dwarfs’ cottage.
The cast of 30 ranges in age from 9 to 18, and includes local kids as well as young actors from as far away as Fort Wayne.
“That’s actually a really interesting, I think, benefit of this junior program because it is such a wide age range and we’ve really, I hope, cultivated an atmosphere where the 18-year-olds are friends with the 9-year-olds and nurture them, and welcome them, and even the new kids are welcomed and brought into the group,” she said.
Hawkins said it’s a lot of fun to direct the wide range of young people.
The rehearsal schedule is similar to the professional Wagon Wheel’s summer schedule. “It’s just two weeks and they have their show ready. So it’s so fast, you just have to be really clear with direction and instruction, but then also allow them room to bring their own creativity and their own talents to the table. It’s a really fun process. Fast and furious,” she said.
During the week, they rehearse 3-1/2 hours a day. On weekends, rehearsals are eight hours Saturday and Sunday.
“They’re all passionate,” Hawkins said. “It’s a big time commitment. We’re also very thankful for our families for making that work because we ask that they don’t miss and they have to make it a priority as long as school work keeps up.”
Hawkins also directed last winter’s junior show, “Haphazardly Ever After,” and served as an assistant director for numerous other junior shows.
She said they want an audience of all ages to come to the show, even if they don’t know anyone in it.
“It’s an offering for the children of the community. We send flyers home to all the elementary schools, so they should know about it,” Hawkins said.
She then recalled an “interesting” tidbit about the Wagon Wheel’s connection to the writers of “Snow White and the Dancing Dwarfs.”
Hawkins said she and Wagon Wheel actress Jennifer Dow were in the dressing room back in December for “Miracle on 34th Street,” talking and planning for the junior show. When they mentioned the title of the junior show, a girl in the “Miracle” ensemble asked if every dwarf had their own accent. They said it did, and the girl said her parents wrote the upcoming musical.
A children’s theater in Cincinnati had commissioned a play, and now it performs “Snow White and the Dancing Dwarfs.”
“Actually, there it’s performed by adults, so this show was written to be performed by adults for kids to watch. So our student actors have really risen to the occasion. They’re playing these awesome roles with huge vocals and they’re doing really well with it,” Hawkins said. “But it’s just crazy we had a relationship with the writers. It’s really great.”
She said the songs are great and a little more sophisticated than some of the other junior shows.
The kids also are doing “great” with their accents, too, she said.
“They’ve really been embracing them. It’s again a really good challenge, and they only have one per actor, so we’ve really been able to hone that and work with them on that. But they’ve done a lot of work outside, too, and just came and jumped right on in,” she said.
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