MoCo Arts returns to the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College with their production of Beauty and the Beast on Saturday, June 1st at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday, June 2nd at 2pm. The performance is our last of the 2019 season and promises to be a memorable event with lots of high-energy dance and just a touch of humor.
The story is familiar, with the most popular rendition of this classic tale undoubtedly being Disney’s animated film which was released in 1991. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and was the first animated film to win that category. The fairy tale on which Disney’s tale was based dates all the way back to the mid 1700s. MoCo’s production of Beauty and the Beast will tell the story through creative choreography performed by dance students ranging in age from seven years to eighteen plus.
It’s a tale as old as time, the classic story of an arrogant prince who is cursed to live as a terrifying beast until he finds true love. When a clockmaker finds himself captured by the beast, his loyal daughter Belle takes his place in the castle. Belle and the Beast begin to fall for one another, with a little help from his enchanted servants.
“Dance & reading are two of my favorite things, so I feel like I can really connect with the character,” says Meeghan Somerset, a senior at Monadnock Regional High School. Meeghan is playing the part of Belle in the show, who is portrayed as a bookworm dreaming of adventure. “It has been particularly meaningful for me to be cast in this role for my senior year.”
MoCo Arts’ spring dance show traditionally marks the end of the spring semester and concludes with a touching rose ceremony to honor the graduating class, of which both of the lead performers in Beauty and the Beast are a part. This year there is an exceptionally large senior class, with fifteen students graduating from MoCo’s dance program.
“One thing that’s really special to me about this performance is that I’m alongside Meeghan- one of my best friends- for so much of it,” says Will Huntley, a senior at Keene High School who is playing the Prince and Beast in the show. “Dancing a role, especially a romantic one, is so much more magical when you are with someone who you are already close with. It’s also my last show at MoCo, which I’m actually really sad about.”
Though this performance marks the end of MoCo’s 2018/2019 school year, there will still be plenty of opportunities for students to continue their arts education at MoCo through the summer months. The summer semester includes dance classes for children from 18 months through 12th grade and runs from June 24th through August 17th. Registration is ongoing, and as with all MoCo Arts classes and camps, tuition assistance is available.
Beauty and the Beast is choreographed by the talented teachers of MoCo Arts, and is being performed by MoCo Arts dancers in grades 2-12. Family and friends of all ages will enjoy this lively show, featuring a wide range of dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip hop.
Beauty and the Beast is being sponsored in part by True North Networks. Tickets are $20 per person, $14 for children and seniors, and can be purchased at the Redfern box office, by calling (603) 358-2168, or online at http://keene.universitytickets.com.
