If your little one’s imagination has been captured by Disney’s Frozen, you won’t want to miss Ballet Victoria’s annual holiday show.
In its third iteration of The Gift, the Victoria-based troupe spreads its creative wings to bring a delightful show to the stage at the Royal Theatre.
“It’s a Christmas show that takes quite a bit of music from the Nutcracker,” explains artistic and executive director Paul Destrooper.
Based on the myth of Pandora’s Box, the story follows a family as it prepares to celebrate the day.
“The family decorates the tree, then of course, the little girl opens the present before she’s supposed to and she releases all these characters,” he says.
Borrowing liberally from both classical ballet, contemporary jazz and even pop culture the family-friendly show includes dancing minions, and an homage to both Avatar and the popular movie Frozen.
“It’s a wink at these things. … We pay homage to Frozen, which is a big hit with our snow scene. In the past Jack Frost has helped little Pandora freeze the scene. This year, instead, we played around with Jack Frost and his Snow Queen and use the girl from Frozen.”
The cast will perform to the live Victoria Symphony Orchestra. “It’s a big deal for us to have the symphony. It’s a big investment, it’s amazing. It’s what it should be, the way the art form was created.”
Talented symphony conductor Joey Pietraroia will play a jazz sax solo for the show. “He’s very, very talented,” says Destrooper. “It’s very family oriented, full of humour and great classical ballet as well.”
The Gift is at the Royal Theatre Dec. 27 to 29 at 2pm. For tickets call 250-386-6121.