This weekend Winnipeg’s Bolero Dance Theatre (BDT) Company is inviting audiences to fall down the rabbit hole, and embrace themselves in the fanciful word of Alice in Wonderland.

BDT’s Alice in Wonderland takes place at the Franco Manitoban Cultural Centre, this Saturday at 7:30 and on Sunday at 2:00. It is a brand new production inspired by Lewis Caroll’s iconic book.  It promises to be a wonderful fusion of fantasy mixed with  the lively and  colorful world of Spanish Dance, complete with iconic characters such as The Queen of Hearts, the Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, The Mad Hatter, the hedgehogs and of course Alice herself.

The adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for Spanish dance was the brain child of BDT’s Assistant Director Geneviève LaTouche. As Pedro Aurelio, Artistic Director of Bolero Dance Theatre states, “This is a production she wanted to create for us, as a first time creator. It will follow almost chapter by chapter; character by character [the book]…it is almost like a ballet except that we’re using the language of Spanish dance… Flamenco and the fans and the train dresses and the castanets and telling the story through movement.”

The production draws on a huge cast, ranging from youngsters to veterans of the company. As Aurelio explains, “It is a large group. We have young kids all the way to veterans. We had to go into some of the other group in the city. Some of the dancers are coming from the Institute of Dance Manitoba, some of the dancers are coming from Sol de España the Spanish Dance group that performs at Folklorama, and then there are dancers from Bolero Dance Theatre, so that is how we are able to have the full cast that can put this amazing spectacle on stage.”

You have two opportunities to see this aural and visual feast of BDT’s production of Alice in Wonderland, this Saturday at 7:30 and on Sunday at 2:00. Both shows take place at the Franco Manitoban Cultural Centre.

Tickets for Alice in Wonderland as presented by Bolero Dance Theatre Company are $25 for Adults, $15 for children. You can get tickets at the door, or by visiting their website

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