For its spring show, the Ballet Slipper Conservatory is bringing a blend of pirouettes, savanna lore and ‘90s nostalgia to Oak Harbor High School’s stage.
Members of the community are invited to see Diane Geragotelis’ students dance the tale of “The Lion King,” performed at 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 2.
According to Geragotelis, a longtime instructor and founder of the dance school, this has been one of the most challenging choreographies, as the dancers are impersonating wild creatures.
With a variety of animals inhabiting King Mufasa’s Pride Lands, Geragotelis had to translate each species’ natural movements and behavior into a dance. For example, the lions’ dance is smooth and elegant, while hyenas are quick and jerky.
The show features 33 dancers aged between 8 and 23, Geragotelis said, and music from the 1994 Disney animated movie and the Broadway musical, running for a total of two hours, including a 15-minute intermission.
Her students have been rehearsing every weekend since February, and for some of them, it’s a throwback. Older students like Naomi Crawford, who plays Mufasa, were in the show when it made its debut in 2018. Now, many of those students have grown up and are ready to graduate high school.
Animal prints, lion manes and colorful wings replace the tutus and the tiaras. Six years ago, Geragotelis made over 140 costumes all by herself, as she does with any of her school’s shows. With only a few months to prepare, she has been able to make 50 new costumes when she isn’t teaching in the dance studio.
Tickets to the show cost $11 for seniors and minors and $16 for adults under the age of 60 and can be purchased online at tbscoh.org.
At left, Savanneh Acker, Hannah Brackeen, Lily Brinlee, Penny Pedraza, Naomi Crawford, Tessa Lang, Ana Kettlewell and Hallie Tyhuis dance to “One by One.” (Photo by Luisa Loi)
At left, Eliza Foster, Grace McGrath, Desiree Walton (the hyenas) and Riley White (Simba’s evil uncle Scar) dance to “Be Prepared.” (Photo by Luisa Loi)
