Wonderland Matrix

Wonderland Experience (Ballet)

ALL in the golden afternoon
Full leisurely we glide…

Or may be we dance? The Canadian ballet production of Alice’s Adventures starts in the summer afternoon when Lewis Carrol kindly entertains little Liddel and her sisters with a book and a photo camera. The guests for the dinner party start arriving one by one: here comes a stout lady nervously shaking her baby’s cradle, here goes an Indian rajah with a big mushroom-like umbrella and several servants and so on. The mother is desperate already, because Jack, the gardener’s boy,brought in the basket of white roses with a red rose in it. Such a disgrace! She throws away the rose and sends the boy away. But Jack picks it up and gives the red rose to Alice and in exchange Alice gives a jam tart to him which is supposed to be for the guests. The mother doesn’t want to go into details, Jack obviously stole the tart and must be dismissed.

Feeling upset and lonely Alice sits down beside Lewis Carrol who is just about to take a picture of this merry gathering. Flash! Camera starts turning at an unusual speed, it got darker and the time has stopped. At this moment Lewis Carrol turns into the White Rabbit and his camera into the Rabbit Hole.

The ballet is a fusion of dance, gorgeous decorations, costumes and digital arts. The way they ‘resized’ Alice was an interesting one: she stayed the same it were the things around her that changed the size. Quite smart, right? This kind of thing would happen in a dream, when everything that surrounds you seems queer.

The performance is going around …. love, of course love! Jack – that Jack of Hearts who stole the tarts is the one who Alice tries to save from the cruel Queen. Though the Queen as everything else in this ballet has a humourous twist and is adorable in her own way, you just can’t take her seriously and you miss her’ of-with-their-heads’ orders.

The Cheshire Cat was my favorite, his tale, paws, face were literally floating in the air.

 

The only part I didn’t get was the Indian style Caterpillar – a man in a sparkly blue turban. But still it was quite original and unexpected, especially cute tiny Caterpillar’s legs.

All in all it’s a true Wonderland experience. In fact the Canadian version is not the only Alice ballet. The fist Alice production by English National Ballet was staged in 1995 and last seen in 2010 (to my knowledge). The music was derived from Tchaikovsky’s Album for the Young (which should be a joy to listen). As a note the Canadian production is based on the original score by Joby Talbot.

A photo of the Queen of Hearts (English National Ballet) can be viewed here.

May be you’ve seen the English production?

Please share your Wonderland experience!

Russian Cartoon: Alice in Wonderland

This cartoon was made by Kiev Animation Studio in 1981. For those of you spoiled by Disney style this animation may seem awkward and immature at first but  it has something surreal, dream-like and even bizarre about it that Disney’s Alice lacks.

Take a look and tell me if you like it.

Meet Russian Alice

Here she is falling down the Rabbit Hole

Entering the Mad Tea Party

Where The March Hare is making his clock-and-butter sandwich

and the Cheshire Cat is grinning ear to ear

The Queen of Hearts is bossing people around

The Mad Hatter is drinking his tea and chewing his cup …

And finally the White Rabbit

The Importance of Being Alice: Part II

Chasing Rabbits

When I first heard “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplain as it was played in Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, I was immediately absorbed by this magically phsychedelic song. It is both intimidating and enchanting. It takes you over to a Wonderland and this time it is no longer a childish farytale but a serious adventure.

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don’t do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she’s ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you’re going to fall
Tell ’em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call to
Call Alice
When she was just small

According to Urban Dictionary chasing rabbits means ” doing something totally irrelevant or being distracted from what you intend to do”. Indeed, how does the story of Alice begin? She got distracted from her book that had nothing interesting at all (no pictures or conversations) when she saw the White Rabbit, a very curious creature.

If we take a look at legends and stories many heroes were once or twice triggered to take off in search of their own fate by this White Rabbit disguised as whispering voices, strange visions, glowing mythical creature ( Pixar’s Brave, most recent that I can think of) etc. What comes to your mind?

Sometimes by following these signs the heroes  find liberation but sometimes they find death.

Charmed’s “Malice in Wonderland” episode illustrates that perfectly. In this episode a female demon lures teenagers whose names start from A into a Rabbit hole. She takes up many diguises  to make people follow her: an attractive woman for a teenage boy, a cute white rabbit for a little girl. Then they fall into the hole where they are driven crazy through illusions: a pack of cards is trying to attack them, an axe is chasing their head, sounds familiar?

Well, the story is getting dangerous;

Beware the White Rabbit can be a trap and the adventure can become a nightmare. But more on that later…