On March 22nd and 23rd, the Upper School Dance Program performed Alice in Wonderland. Despite the graceful and seemingly effortless performance of the dancers, three months of preparation was required for the show. Both Lauren Shamie ‘19 and Jennifer “Jenni” Wolters ‘19 were casted as the lead role of Alice.

When Lauren Shamie, who has been dancing for 14 years, found out that she was casted to be the lead, she said,

“I was ecstatic! It was such a privilege to be given such a prominent role.”

Jenni, has been dancing for her entire life, but became especially committed to dance in sixth grade.  Prior to her commitment to dance, she was a gymnast. When selected for the role of Alice, Jenni said,

“I was overjoyed when I read my name under “Alice” for the first time. This was a true honor to be trusted with such an important role.”

Training for such a role did not come without its challenges though. When asked about adversity they faced, Lauren said,

“It is difficult to dance for such a long period of time and remember the variety of different choreography taught.”

Jenni agreed and also said,

“A serious challenge was wearing pointe shoes for seven hours straight on Saturdays. But, it was worth it.”

Members of the ballet cast dedicated hours during the week and weekends to perfect their routines. However, Lauren and Jenni began rehearsals even before winter break to prepare for their starring role.  Despite these long days of hard work, Jenni said

“It felt short to us because we were with friends every day. We were always excited and happy to be a part of such a wonderful family.”

Jenni and Lauren were just one piece of the puzzle that came together to perform the beautiful ballet. They both mentioned how the entire cast pulled together to create a fantastic show. Alice in Wonderland was a wonderful opportunity for the ballet company to show off their hard work and talent.