Carolina Ballet's World Premiere of Zalman Raffael's
Snow White Has a Some Very Satisfying Twists

The Carolina Ballet will stage the world premiere of Zalman Raffael's Snow White, with a score by Shinji Eshima, on March
10-27 in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh's Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts (photo by Rachel Neville)

The Carolina Ballet's world premiere of Zalman Raffael's ballet, Snow White, with a score by Shinji Eshima, debuted Thursday, March 10th, in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh, NC's Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Raffael is the ballet's artistic director and choreographer, and Eshima is the award-winning composer of the emotionally moving Bariolage, presented by the Carolina Ballet in 2019.

Eshima has composed more than 30 works, including ballets, soundtracks, chamber pieces, and operas. In an April 2021 interview on Carolina Ballet's YouTube channel, Eshima talks about composing the music for Snow White: "There's never been a Snow White (ballet), and it seems like such a great story for a ballet. It's my first full-length ballet, because the other works have all been 30-35 minutes. The opportunity to follow this story was fantastic."

Three years ago, Eshima travelled from his home in San Francisco to attend the performance of Bariolage at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts: "I was totally amazed. I'd never been to that part of the world and I was just so impressed -- beautiful performing arts center, an amazing company. That and great barbecue makes for a great time!"

Eshima comments on working with Zalman Raffael on Snow White include: "It's fascinating, because dancers, I think, think of rhythm and counts and phrasing in a completely different way than orchestral musicians do. It's a total privilege to be involved in this."

My seats for Thursday's opening night were located on row F, and I couldn't have asked for better placement. The Fletcher has a "Goldilocks" rake to the orchestra seating: not too steep and not too shallow -- just right.

As the curtain rises, the music begins with a French horn. Inside the castle, under a red banner depicting a blood-red rose surrounded by thorns, The Queen and her Mirror perform a pas de deux. The Queen (played by Jan Burkhard) is dressed in a dark red gown and the Mirror (Margaret Severin-Hansen) appears in the same gown rendered in dark silver lamé. The two dancers mirror each other at times, as expected, but also engage in other forms of dialogue: echoing, agreeing, deferring, and showing affection in a complicated and fascinating way.

In the playbill's Program Notes, Raffael discusses the Queen's relationship to her Magic Mirror: "The magic mirror symbolizes the mystical element that we all become so enthralled with, and is comparable to our relationships with smart phones and technology used today."

Raffael and Eshima have created that special kind of entertainment that is enjoyable for children, but has a deeper and sometimes darker meaning for grown-ups. Over time, some classic fairytales have elements that definitely need to be updated for modern audiences. In this show, the Seven Dwarfs are reinvented as Seven Gold Miners, hard-working and loveable characters that provide friendship and companionship for the Princess as Radiant as Snow, formerly known as Snow White (performed "radiantly" by Courtney Schenberger).

Scene 3 is a dance at the palace, and the tension between the Queen and the Princess is immediately apparent. Costume designer Terry Baker has created a unique color story. Court Men and Court Ladies, dressed in subtle shades of brown, perform an elegant dance as a backdrop to the Princess in a yellow gown.

A handsome Prince from a nearby kingdom (Kiefer Curtis) appears, dressed in blue. The red garments of the Queen and her evil young attendants (Winnie Bumgarner and Regan Dzingle-Erdie) are a visual stand-off to the blue and yellow colors of the Princess and Prince, somehow reminding this critic of Russia versus Ukraine -- and reminding us all that it's time to get out of the house, away from the newscasts, and attend a live dance performance.

There's no doubt that the Queen is a mean girl, which is most apparent in the way she treats her boy-toy and Huntsman (Yevgeny Shlapko). Their short duets sprinkled throughout the story are darkly dynamic encounters, reflecting a toxic relationship. Schlapko's appearances bring some of the most exciting dancing of the evening.

Act Two begins with the Mirror taking control, as she conjures the main curtain to rise. One of many standout moments involves an unusual quartet. The Prince, The Princess, and the Prince's two buddies (played by Joseph Gerhardt and Braden Hart) perform a joyful, woodland dance with lively patterns and pairings.

And speaking of the woodland, we have our Forest Dancers: Laurel Dorn, Zoe Harrell, Anna Ingold, Juliet Marinello, Ayla O'Day, SarahAnne Perel, Rachel Robinson, Deirdre Scanlon, and Ella Volpe, ballerinas from the Corps de Ballet in moss-green tutus, moving magically through a forest made magical by scenic designer Jeff A.R. Jones and lighting designer Ross Kolman.

Then there's the Seven Gold Miners, played by Kathleen Black, Mia Domini, Ayla O'Day, Jayson Pescasio, Luke Potgieter, Rachel Robinson, and the adorable Bilal Shakur-Smith. It's all frolic and fun as the miners return from working in the gold mines to discover a strange Princess asleep on the floor of their cottage. A favorite comedic moment happens when the Princess attempts to wake up everyone, so they won't be late for work. Each character has her or his own way of responding to the wake-up call, reflective of the unique personality traits that we've come to know and love.

There's the ringing of bells and the feeling of sheer joy at the final Prince/Princess love duet -- performed under a new banner: a blue-and-yellow one, complete with flying Pegasus. The end of this particular version of the Snow White story has a few twists, which I won't give away, except to say they're very satisfying.

Shinji Eshima notes, "I've had the privilege of being at the Bolshoi and seeing all the great ballet companies in the world. In Italy and certainly a lot in Paris. (I've) attended plenty of rehearsals for things as they are being created here in San Francisco, too. And I just really admire the quality and dedication of the dancers. The level of quality [of the Carolina Ballet], I'll have to say, I'm very grateful for and very impressed with."

Snow White runs 72 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission, and requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend. Because it's a world premiere, the curtain call included members of the artistic team, along with Eshima. You can bet Eshima will be wanting some more North Carolina barbecue to celebrate!

The Carolina Ballet will present the world premiere of Zalman Raffael's Snow White, with a score by Shinji Eshima, on March
10-13, 19, 20, 26, and 27 in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh

Zalman Raffael's world-premiere ballet, SNOW WHITE, with a score by Shinji Eshima (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11-13, 19-20, and 26-27, and Livestreamed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 11th) (Carolina Ballet in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh). MARCH 10, 2022 PROGRAM: https://www.carolinaballet.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WEB_Snow-White_3-10_Thursday_730pm_FINAL.pdf. FEATURETTE: https://youtu.be/gZw73aez0M8. 2021-22 SEASON: https://www.carolinaballet.com/2021-2022-season/. THE COMPANY: https://www.carolinaballet.com/company/. THE PRESENTER: https://www.carolinaballet.com/, https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaBallet, https://www.instagram.com/carolinaballet/, https://twitter.com/CarolinaBallet, and https://www.youtube.com/user/CBcarolinaballet. THE VENUE: https://www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com/venues, https://www.facebook.com/DECRaleigh, https://www.instagram.com/DECRaleigh/, https://twitter.com/DECRaleigh, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUCPC9naUI3G8vHw0K8Qnew. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com/getting-duke-energy-center. COVID-19 VACCINATION AND MASK POLICY FAQS: https://www.carolinaballet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Covid-19-Vaccination-and-Mask-Policy-FAQs-2.pdf. CLEANING PROTOCOLS AND ATTENDEE SAFETY: https://www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com/cleaning-protocols-and-attendee-safety. TICKETS: $27.15-$65.15, plus taxes and ticket fees. Call 800-982-2787 or click here to buy in-person tickets, and call 919-719-0900 or e-mail boxoffice@carolinaballet.com to buy livestream tickets. GROUPS (10+ tickets): 919-719-0900 and https://www.carolinaballet.com/tickets/special-rates/. INFORMATION: 919-719-0900 or boxoffice@carolinaballet.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Carolina Ballet.

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