A classic festive fairy tale is getting a vibrant and warm re-telling on stage in the run-up to Christmas.
The Little Match Girl is a poignant tale set at Yuletide and will charm all ages when it takes to the stage at Norwich Playhouse on November 27-30.
The story begins on an icy cold Christmas Eve as the title character paces the gradually emptying streets and tries to sell her matches.
Cold and hungry with just one match left to light her way and keep her warm, she sees a vision of her grandmother.
Leaving her difficult life behind her, she is guided up to the moon by her beloved relative.
This heart-warming version of a Hans Christian Anderson folk-tale is being brought to life by director and choreographer Arthur Pita. Born in Portugal, he studied dance in Johannesburg before gaining a Masters Degree from the London Contemporary Dance School.
Known for his style of mixing quirkiness with the emotional, The Little Match Girl is one of many pieces created by Arthur who has also worked with the likes of the Royal Ballet, Ballet Black, and the San Francisco Ballet.
He also has a host of credits in film, theatre and opera including the move Sunshine On Leith, Les Liaisons Dangereuses for the Donmar Warehouse, The Winter’s Tale for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Carmen for Den Norske and Royal Opera House, and La Bohème at the Royal Albert Hall.
Those starring in the production are:
• Corey Annand who has appeared in a number of previous productions of The Little Match Girl as well as another Arthur Pita piece Metamorphosis and danced in Salome for English National Opera at London Coliseum
• Greek-born Stefanos Dimoulas who has worked for a range of companies including the Royal Opera House, Welsh National Opera and CBBC, as well as being featured as a fashion model and enjoys a parallel career as an editorial photographer.
• Valentina Golfieri who is the associate director of Arthur Pita’s Open Heart Productions and has also been a member of Protein Dance since 2011. She has toured all over the world as well as teaching and leading projects with hard-to-reach communities and also designs costumes for dance companies.
• Karl Fagerlund Brekke who trained at London Studio Centre and the Rambert School supplementing his training with workshops across Europe. Since graduating, he has worked with a number of choreographers including Arthur Pita, Simon McBurney and Lucy McCormick.
• Hanna Nussbaumer who started her dance training at a very young age. A former graduate of the Rambert School, she performed for Rambert as well as choreographers like Mark Baldwin and Kerry Nicholls.
• Ashley Morgan-Davies whose previous training also includes Rambert with other previous performing credits including Wicked, Aladdin and the Ignition Festival.
Some of Europe’s brightest dance talent is being assembled to tell this beautiful story. This festive-set piece of dance will tug at the emotions and show the bittersweet side of Christmas as we all remember the importance of family and those we love during Yuletide. All ages will enjoy this classic fairy tale brought to life in an imaginative and visually stunning way
Caroline Richardson, Norwich Playhouse director
