ALADDIN | REKINDLE

March 11-13 & 19-20, 2022 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre

Under the direction of and choreographed by Attila Mosolygo, Grand Rapids Ballet’s Junior Company is rekindling the familiar tale of Aladdin, as our talented young dancers share the story of an impoverished boy, living in Agrabah, who falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jasmine. This exciting adventure features a thrilling quest, with mysterious characters along the way including a fierce dragon, a magic genie, and a powerful Sorcerer.

The inspiration for this ballet comes from the folktale in the book, One Thousand and One Nights. Aladdin is a ballet of many stories: a young man who searches for his place in this world, a greedy sorcerer who lives only to gain more power and riches, and a princess hoping to find love.

ALADDIN | THE STORY

Aladdin is an impoverished young boy living in the city of Agrabah. He falls in love with a beautiful princess named Jasmine when he sees her shopping on the busy, crowded streets of the bustling city. He is recruited by a Sorcerer who passes himself off as a merchant to retrieve an old oil lamp from a cave in exchange for gold. Thinking he could impress the princess with his treasure, Aladdin agrees.

Before heading out on his dangerous quest, the Sorcerer presents him a very special ring — one which holds a genie who can only be released by those with a kind heart like Aladdin’s. The genie then leads Aladdin to the oil lamp which is guarded by a fierce dragon on which the genie places a sleeping spell so Aladdin can complete his task. When Aladdin rubs the oil lamp, he unlocks a more powerful genie who is bound to do the bidding of the person who released him. With the aid of this genie, Aladdin wishes to be rich with the hope of winning Princess Jasmine’s heart.

The Sorcerer hears of Aladdin’s good fortune and, dressed in disguise, tricks his mother, who is unaware the lamp is magical, to trade it for a new one. With the oil lamp now in his possession, the Sorcerer is filled with greed and orders the genie to take away Aladdin’s riches. Aladdin now realizes how that power can be misused and decides to challenge the Sorcerer to take back the oil lamp and return it to the cave where it belongs.

But now poor and powerless, will Aladdin and Jasmine live happily ever?

ALADDIN | DATES & TIMES

Friday, March 11, 2022

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Sunday, March 13, 2022

Saturday, March 19, 2022

Sunday, March 20, 2022

ALADDIN & JASMINE’S ROYAL TEA 2022

Join Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company for Aladdin & Jasmine’s Royal Tea at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 13 at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market in the Greenhouse space. The memorable event, fit for both princes and princesses alike, features a photo booth, a meet and greet with characters from Aladdin, a kid-friendly craft, all topped off with a brunch built for kids and adults. After the Royal Tea, the attendees will travel to the land of Agrabah at Peter Martin Wege Theatre to experience the thrills of Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company’s Aladdin beginning at 2 p.m.

ALADDIN | COUNTDOWN

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ALADDIN | CREATORS

Attila Mosolygo

Attila Mosolygo

Choreographer | GRBS & Jr. Company Director

Biography

Born in Kisvarda, Hungary, Attila received his early training at the National Ballet Institute in Budapest. After moving to the United States, he joined the Joffrey Ballet School. He has performed as a guest artist with Mobile Ballet, Bravo Dance, Harrisburg Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Attila spent sixteen years as a company dancer and is currently in his sixth season as Ballet Master. As a company dancer, a few of his notable roles include The Prodigal Son in George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Max in Septime Webre’s Where The Wild Things Are, Charlie Chaplin in Gordon Peirce Schmidt’s Flickers, Tibalt in Mario Radacovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, and Melancholic in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments.

Attila became the Director of the Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company in 2011 and School Director in 2017.  Since becoming the Director, Attila has choreographed Snow White, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Carnival of the Animals and Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes for the Junior Company. He and his wife Mindy have one daughter and one son, Vivian and Cameron.

Ron Altman

Ron Altman

Costume Design | Costume Shop Manager

Biography

Hailing from Mercer, Wisconsin, Ron began his ballet studies as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Following a summer of training at the Ruth Page Foundation in Chicago, Mr. Altman signed his first professional contract with the Duluth Ballet. His dance career continued with the Joffrey Concert Group, North Carolina Dance Theatre, and New York Theatre Ballet. As a principal guest artist, he has performed with the St. Louis Ballet formerly the Missouri Concert Ballet, Mobile Ballet, Ocala Ballet Theatre—formerly the Marion Performing Ballet, the Boise Ballet, and the Charlotte Youth Ballet. His roles include Prince Charming in Cinderella, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Albrecht in Giselle, the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, and principal roles in Les Biches and Ondine.

Ron continues to develop his interests in teaching and costume design and has earned his Master of Fine Arts from the Department of Dance at The Ohio State University. He has enjoyed opportunities to coach partnering to leading couples, teach ballet technique, and lecture about dance and costume histories.

He has designed and fabricated costumes for small concert works and full-length productions including Jinsha, Entrechat, a reconstruction of Loie Fuller’s La Mer, and full length productions of La Bayadère, The Stone Flower, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. His costumes have been worn by dancers in companies across the United States, Iceland, Japan, and Mexico.

MUSIC

  • Brandon Fiechter

  • Derek Fiechter

  • Carl Nielsen

  • Adam Oehlenschlaeger

ALADDIN | HEALTH & SAFETY INFORMATION

Grand Rapids Ballet School’s Aladdin performance will remain in alignment with Grand Rapids Ballet’s Health & Safety Policies. Upon entering the Aladdin performances at Peter Martin Wege Theatre, *all patrons will be required to provide:

– Proof of fully vaccinated status OR a **negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of performance
– *Unvaccinated guests 11 years of age and younger will not be required to provide negative test results
– A valid ticket to the performance
– Photo ID
– A face mask covering the mouth and nose

Please review GRB’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures for more information.

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