Snow White and the Seven Demons: A dance on the dark side

A young woman is deceived by a disguised peddler woman, leading to her peril and a quest to make things right again. This is the setting for Snow White and the Seven Demons, an original production of The Danse Macabre, February 17 and 18 at Aberdeen High School.

The Danse Macabre is no newcomer to this sort of production, having several years of the The Scarecracker (a Halloween-darkened Nutcracker Ballet) under its belt. This production of Snow White follows a similar template. The action alternates between various styles of dance and narrated pantomime. The dancing impresses. Forty local young people seamlessly integrate jazz, hip-hop, and traditional ballet, sometimes in the same number. These talented youth are mostly Harford County’s own. And the narration is wonderfully reminiscent of the Winnie the Pooh animated movies, with perhaps a little A Christmas Story thrown in.

Unlike the traditional Snow White, this rendition takes place in ancient Greece. Snow White is a huntress, and much of the show centers on Snow’s quest to save her imperiled sister Lily. Comparisons could be made with the various re-tellings of the Wizard of Oz. Into The Woods comes to mind, a show in which fairy tale characters find themselves uncomfortably immersed in each others’ stories. In this case it seems as though Snow White has been melded with Katniss of The Hunger Games and finds herself in aspects of the Disney-produced Hercules story.

Let’s be clear. This is not your average recital. Danse Macabre creates these productions to raise the bar and push the envelope for both dancers and audiences. If you are looking for an evening of entertainment, for an original story presented through dance, for a showcase of local talent, then Snow White and the Seven Demons might be for you.

Snow White and the Seven Demons

By Dance Macabre

Aberdeen High School

February 17 and 18 at 7:00 pm

Tickets $12-17

Online tickets at Ticketleap