Not all kids are into heroics. Some prefer villains.
The Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, the Joker — all are villainous characters that about 125 young dancers are bringing to the stage in Petersburg for “Villains: The Evil Tour.”
Mitkof Dance Troupe’s sold-out spring recital features 26 villains with a mix of dance styles from ballet to jazz.
Seventh grade studio students Anya Curtiss and Daisy Morrow were thrilled to try out evil for a change.
“I was actually really excited to be Maleficent,” Curtiss said, adding that it’s “almost like a second personality.”
“I like how dark and eerie it is. Like, I usually don’t get a ballet [that’s] so dark and depressing,” added Morrow, giggling with Curtiss. “I hope we get to see more ballet dances like this one in the future.”
Olivia Reid is the Executive Director of Mitkof Dance Troupe and teaches ballet at the studio.
“We just went straight evil,” Reid said with a laugh, adding that the kids “had fun with it.”
She said the dance teachers were also excited to take on the sinister theme.
“A lot of our performances are happy and fun — and this is still happy and fun, but everything just has … a little bit of a dark side,” Reid said. “There’s a lot of acting the kids have had a blast with … there’s a lot of energy on the stage.”
The theme originally started with heroes, too, she explained. But the dance teachers came up with so many ideas for villains that the studio decided to do an entire show inspired by evil characters.
“It was exciting to me, how many [villains] we could transform into dance,” Reid said. “It’s been really fun.”
“The kids have all worked so hard, and they love performing,” she added. “A full house is the best kind of house. We love the encouragement and the cheering, and it’s just a good energy when everybody’s here.”
“I’m mainly excited to see all my family here and watch me perform,” said Curtiss. “Recitals are always the best part about dance.”
Morrow agreed, and the girls got back to practicing their routine.
