Risa Kaplowitz of West Windsor presents a new take on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Snow Queen,” to capture the imaginations of children and the young at heart this winter. “This isn’t the same old holiday show,” Kaplowitz says. “There’s more depth to it; it has a moral and a conflict. It’s good versus evil as told through beautiful ballet and gorgeous music by Grieg, Bartok, and Rimsky-Korsakov.”
It is the tale of a young boy, Kai, who is saved by his best friend, Gerda. The Snow Queen takes Kai when his heart turns cold. Gerda’s quest to rescue her friend takes her through a land of eternal summer, a royal palace, and a band of wild robbers. A reindeer named Bae and a Lapland Sorceress show Gerda that her love and will are strong enough to rescue Kai. The Angels battle the Queen’s Ice Maidens and triumph: Gerda at last finds Kai. Her hug warms his heart, and he is released from the Snow Queen’s evil clutches.
“The amazing projection artwork we’re using as a backdrop was created by Dave Haneman (of Plainsboro),” says Kaplowitz. “It virtually moves with the dancers, transforming the stage into another space and time. There are more than 70 performers and 140 original costumes.”
Kaplowitz choreographed “The Secret Garden” for DanceVision four years ago. A principal ballerina with Dayton Ballet, Kaplowitz was also a member of Houston Ballet and Manhattan Ballet, and performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.
DanceVision Performance Company casts its own trained dancers in principal roles to fulfill its mission of bringing professional-quality productions to the community and fostering local talent. Lead roles are played by West Windsor dancers Josiah (Joe) Foster and Max Azaro.
Foster, 14, is a freshman at High School North where he plays the double bass in the school’s orchestra. He works with John Enz at school and studies with Robert Peterson in the summer.
“My interest in dancing was sparked by my sister, especially early on,” says Joe. “She showed me moves and I thought I’d try it.” He has been dancing at Princeton Dance and Theater Studio since he was 11. In “The Snow Queen” he plays the roles of the Prince (Frederick); Bae the Reindeer; and a townsperson.
His parents, Andrew Foster and Kathryn Kueny, are both professors at Fordham University. His sister, Iris, 12, is a sixth grade student at Community Middle School. His younger brothers Leo and Eli, both 9, are twins in the fourth grade at Millstone River. Iris and Leo are also in “The Snow Queen.” The family has lived in West Windsor since 2003.
Joe studies ballet and jazz five days a week. With rehearsals on Sundays, he practices dancing and stretching on Mondays. “It’s all worth it,” he says. “Friends are very accepting of my dancing.”
Joe has been in the “Nutcracker” three seasons, “The Secret Garden” for two seasons, and four seasons with spring performances.
He credits parent volunteers with help backstage with costuming. Foster learned to do his own makeup. “I’ve gotten a lot of tips from Henri Velandia,” he says about the dance teacher from West Windsor.
Max Azaro, 12, is a seventh grade student at Grover Middle School. A former competitive gymnast, he came in second in the state in 2009. “He loved gymnastics but it seemed clear to me that he was born to dance and was always dancing around the house,” says his mother.
He had a friend on his gymnastics team who was a ballet dancer but Max was not interested in taking dance lessons until 2009. Now he spends many hours dancing and takes five ballet classes per week, and tap and hip hop once a week. “I have no regrets about switching to dance,” he says.
Last spring he was the grand prize winner of the “Pointe and Shoot” photo essay contest sponsored by American Ballet Theater. He received two nights at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City and free tickets with a backstage tour to “Cinderella.” “It’s amazing to see the dancers and how beautifully they present themselves,” he says. “It make me feel a part of ballet.”
Last summer Max took a five-week summer intensive at Princeton Dance and Theater. He studied with Cynthia Gregory, Susan Jaffe, and Roy Kaiser. “I met a lot of new people and we got really close,” he says.
His parents are Kathy, a pediatrician who works with disability reviews in Trenton, and Marco Azaro, a biochemist, geneticist, and a professor in Rutgers’ graduate school. His sisters are Annabel, 11, a fifth grade student at Village School; and Eliza, 5, in kindergarten at Maurice Hawk School. His family moved from Chatham to West Windsor in 2008. “It was closer to Trenton and has a good school system,” says Kathy.
“Max loves to dance,” says his mother. “He finds it physically and intellectually challenging and I know it makes him happy.”
“I am glad my school is really diverse and well-rounded,” says Max. “My friends see my shows and everyone is open-minded about my dancing.”
Annabel just began ballet classes and loves it. “I think watching her brother inspired her to give it a go,” says Kathy.
“Dancing is my community service,” says Max who prepared for his role by reading the book of “The Snow Queen.” “My grandmother bought me a copy and I loved the story,” he says. “The plot is the same in the ballet.”
The Snow Queen, DanceVision, Kendall Hall, College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing. Saturday, December 17, 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 18, 2 p.m. $25. 609-771-2775. www.dancevisionNJ.org.
