Josh Chandulal-McKay as King Stephan and Danielle Gleeson as Prince Stephan try to repel Firebird Trinity Taylor-Moore.
Photo Tracey Grant Photography
Josh Chandulal-McKay as King Stephan and Danielle Gleeson as Prince Stephan try to repel Firebird Trinity Taylor-Moore.
Photo Tracey Grant Photography
Prince Edward Auditorium, Wanganui Collegiate School, Sunday, April 30.
Fabulous costumes, a great set and lighting, spectacular dancing and a Whanganui District councillor made for a terrific show at the Prince Edward Auditorium last Sunday.
The show was Wanganui Ballet and Dance Academy's Maleficent featuring councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay as narratorand a king or two.
A quick Google search for Maleficent had informed me there was a 2014 film starring Angelina Jolie.
I need not have bothered because Josh did a great job of telling the story about to be performed as ballet and modern theatre.
Maleficent was a fairy who grew bitter and mean after her wings were stolen by a deceitful prince and she placed a Sleeping Beauty kind of curse upon newborn princess Aurora.
I am no connoisseur of dance, but I know what I like - and I sure did like the 20 dance sequences that followed the introduction.
Some tiny fairies and pixies put big efforts into their performances and principal dancers Annabel McMahon as Maleficent and Trinity Taylor-Moore as her guardian Firebird were sensational, as were Mira Meijer as the young Maleficent and Danielle Gleeson as Prince Stephan.
As I said, I'm no expert, but I had noticed a standout dancer in the solo and group dances that preceded the main show.
I recognised her as the fairy of love, Evangelina, in the main show and discovered that she was Amelia Chandulal-Mackay, who has studied at the Orlando School of dance in Florida.
It seems I do have the ability to recognise a very accomplished dancer among some other very good ones after all.
I take my hat off to dressmaker Alice Paton, who was responsible for all the costumes, and to the talented group of parents who created all the clever props and headdresses.
Congratulations to Anna Chandulal (and her family), Rebecca Marshall and everyone who worked on Maleficent.
You all brought some magic to a wet and windy Whanganui afternoon.
