A warmly lit green room with walls covered in framed posters of iconic plays, ballets and music performances buzzes with French chatter.
A prince, an evil queen and a sexually charged townsperson mingle at one table, while the seven dwarves relax and stretch around a set of leather couches.
Somewhere in the room, Snow White is celebrating her 200th year, preparing to relive the story of her death and revival with an emotionally charged ballet.
Ballet Preljocaj — a French ballet company created by and under the artistic direction of Angelin Preljocaj — is performing their adaptation of the Grimm brothers’ “Snow White,” as revised in 1817, tonight and Thursday at Memorial Hall.
Chapel Hill is one of six United States cities — including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — in which the show will be performed. Because of the dense tour schedule, the dancers switch roles from night to night or city to city.
A narrative ballet, “Snow White” tells the often-recreated story of the fairest princess who is hunted by an evil queen hungry for beauty and then saved by the original Prince Charming.
The company faces the challenge of telling a familiar story to an audience with only movement.
Celine Marie, a dancer with the company who plays various ensemble characters in “Snow White,” said that unlike a plotless ballet, where the specificity of movement is key and the audience makes their own interpretation, narratives require the company to craft an understandable story for the viewers.
“Most of the time, everyone has his place,” she said.