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Don’t forget to check out the previous installments in our five-part series on Winter. Part one offers a glimpse into the ballet’s soundtrack, part two looks at the show’s costumes, part three discusses the specialty scents crafted for the show, and part four gives us a taste of the menu.
A dance is always a story—whether it’s a big production choreographed by a professional or a spontaneous moment when a husband gives his wife a quick twirl in the living room. It can be about love or mystery or misunderstanding or transformation—any number of things.
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When I spoke to Wonderbound artistic director Garrett Ammon two months ago, the upcoming production of Winter was still very much in progress. The storyline was not yet set. What Ammon knew, he told me, was that he “wanted to explore the ideas of winter outside the context of the holidays—the inherent nature of winter on a visceral level.” He continued: “Dark versus light, warmth versus cold. The intimacy of being huddled together in a warm place. The expanse of endless white outside.”
All of these ideas make an appearance in a familiar, yet entirely new fairy tale created from the depths of Ammon’s imagination. The audience walks into a party already in progress. The main characters arrive home after a bit of imbibing. A magpie (that mischievous bird) arrives in the window. The couple falls asleep, warm in a blanket. The magpie sees an opportunity and steals the woman away. Animals—a wolf, fox, woodpecker, and more—are seen in the woods. A husband left cloak-less and cold. A pub. A fairy. The aura of winter touched upon through dance, costume, scent, food, and music.
Of course, you’ll have to attend a performance to understand the full story. But you can get a taste of what you can expect in the video compilation below from a November rehearsal (pre-costumes, of course). Author’s Note: This is a personal video and not a 5280 production.
Winter hits the stage December 10, 11, 17, and 18, with two shows each evening (6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) at Wonderbound Studio at Junction Box, 1075 Park Ave W. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased here.
