Ballet Ariel welcomes the holidays with a fresh, new way to celebrate the season. “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” ballet is based on the popular book by C.S. Lewis, with original choreography by Director Ilena Norton and battle scenes choreographed by Gregory Gonzales.

The story of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,” beloved by children and adults alike, is set in the 1940s. The ballet begins when four siblings, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, visit the Old Professor and discover an empty room with a large wardrobe. Young Lucy opens the wardrobe door and steps in. Her brother Edmund follows her as they find themselves in a wintery forest of another world.

A series of adventures begin that include an umbrella-carrying faun, an evil White Witch, a beaver couple, a kind-hearted lion, and myriad other characters. They, along with the siblings, engage in a mystical battle of good over evil. Although the White Witch traps the group in a seemingly endless winter, the great lion Aslan, merry Father Christmas and the promise of spring arriving brings beauty and hope to the holiday season.

In ballet form, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” is an exciting adventure, beautifully set to music by Edward Elgar and Arthur Sullivan, with creative costumes and sets. Aslan and other animal mask and costumes are created by George Peters at Air Works Studio in Boulder.