Aplomb Ballet Artistry

Proudly presents:
The Wizard of Oz
A Ballet based on the book by L. Frank Baum

Choreographed by

Danielle Balciunas In collaboration with Kelsey Hutchison and the dancers

Synopsis

Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle on the gray plains of Kansas until a cyclone carries her to the magical Land of Oz, where her house accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East and frees the Munchkins. Guided by the Good Witch of the North and wearing the Witch’s powerful ruby slippers, Dorothy sets out for the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz for help returning home. Along the
way she is joined by a Scarecrow seeking a brain, a Tin Man longing for a heart, and a Cowardly Lion in search of courage, and together they face many dangers. The Wizard agrees to help them only if they destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, whom Dorothy ultimately defeats, freeing her friends. Though the Wizard is revealed to be an ordinary man, he grants the companions symbolic gifts and attempts unsuccessfully—to take Dorothy home. She then journeys through several strange lands to meet Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, who tells Dorothy that the ruby slippers have always had the power to return her to Kansas. After saying farewell to her friends, Dorothy clicks her heels three times and goes home.

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Special Thanks

We extend our sincere gratitude to all those who contributed their time, talent, and support to make this production possible. Special thanks to our dedicated production team, dancers, crew, volunteers, and families for their commitment and hard work. Thank you dancers for dedicating your time and talent to this production. We extend our thanks to Desiree Garcia and Victor Garcia for attending studio rehearsals and spending this long day backstage for performances. Special applause goes to their two Yorkies: Phoebe and Chloe, who share the role of Toto in today’s performances.

Note from Ms Danielle

My education and instincts have taught me that choreography is not just about creating something beautiful—it is also about responding to limitation. For this show goal was to mostly ignore what I knew well about the 1939 Wizard of Oz film and simply translate L. Frank Baum’s original text into a ballet. But as I was reading I was also inspired by the ways in which the movie edited to make the story work as a film. Unlike some of my other works that interact directly with the source text, I found The Wizard of Oz lacking the musicality that would make it ideal to choreograph to directly. Instead, I chose to focus on pantomime, gesture, and dramatic fluctuations in music to communicate the plot and bring the characters to life.
 

In the book, the first two characters Dorothy meets—the Scarecrow and the Tin Man—share their own tragic backstories, but despite their sad beginnings, they remain quite innocent. Dorothy’s own lonely life as an orphan on a forlorn farm makes the Scarecrow’s story of abandonment particularly poignant. I felt compelled to help the audience live through these characters’ backstories. To do this, I relied on music with lyrics, which, while not at all describing the characters’ experiences, mirror their emotional arcs. Although the lyrics cannot be heard the recognizable melodies from the 1939 film play a provide additional context, as even a few bars of a medley feed narrative “text” to the audience.

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By the time we meet the Cowardly Lion, the story has gained momentum and we are fully immersed in the fairy-tale world, having also gained familiarity with the pantomime “language” introduced between the first two backstories. At this point, the audience is ideally ready to read narrative and emotion directly from the dancers’ movements and gestures, Freed from the inherent sadness of Dorothy’s early existence, we can now follow all four characters through this ever winding tale.

This performance is lovingly dedicated to my grandmother, Gloria Herrera, who left this world on August 15th, 2025. While she was still with us, she never missed an opportunity to let me know how proud she was of these productions. She cherished attending our performances and delighting in our close-knit community of staff and seasoned dancers. Grandma Gloria was a special presence, and
though I miss daily, I continue to feel her light, her love, and her unwavering encouragement watching over this work. I know she is with us in spirit today, celebrating in all of the joy.

Characters in order of appearance