Royalty Dance Academy presents ‘Hansel and Gretel’

(ROCKWALL, TX – Feb. 20, 2017) The young and talented student ballet dancers of the Ballet Royale at the Royalty Dance Academy in Rockwall are proud to present their own unique production of the classic tale ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ Opening night will be March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Granville Arts Center in Garland (300 N 5th St, Garland, TX 75040), with the second and final show on March 5 at 2:30 p.m.

Tatum Wolf (11) returns in her second major role with the studio as Hansel, while Skylin Helms (10) performs in her first ever major role as Gretel. The cast includes 45 student dancers, with the youngest age 6 and the oldest age 15, and are led by instructor Gabrielle Palmatier.

Gabrielle has been teaching ballet for 12 years and directed the Ballet Company at School of Dance and Music in Redondo Beach, CA prior to coming to Rockwall to teach at Royalty Dance Academy. She’s been an instructor at the academy for three and a half years, and also serves as the director of Ballet Royale, the official ballet company of the Royalty Dance Academy providing the highest quality of dance education in the art of classical ballet to aspiring dancers of all backgrounds and levels.

Gabrielle said the girls are involved in just about every aspect of the production, including making the props and setting the stage.

“They’re my stagehands, so you’ll see 9-year-olds pulling things like cabinets and props on and off the stage,” she said. “They’re a young crew, but they’re acting is amazing. We don’t have an acting coach or anything, so it’s something they kind of teach themselves how to do. They basically live the show.”

Gabrielle said they began work on the production in mid-August of last year, and have held rehearsal every Saturday (except during the holidays). She’s been very impressed with the teamwork of the girls, and loves how well Tatum and Skylin have been handling their leading roles. “Hansel and Gretel are in the whole show. The show is two hours long, and they have to know exactly what they’re doing and where they’re standing for that entire time. Never once have they been stressed or shown that they’ve had any trouble with it. They’re really smart and have handled their roles very well.”

Skylin has been dancing ballet for six years, Tatum for five years, and both said they’re loving everything about their roles in the upcoming production.

“I like that we get to be here every Saturday with our friends. We get to make props together and I get to hang out with my friends for a long time,” Skylin said.

Royalty Dance Academy aims to teach quality dance technique, style, and choreography to each of its students, challenging them at their own level and teaching them important life skills such as dedication, teamwork, passion and respect. Royalty Dance Academy has ballet courses for everyone, regardless of previous experience or age. The studio also offers classes in Jazz, Hip-hop, Modern/Lyrical and Competition Teams. For more information visit royaltydanceacademy.com.

By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News. Photo courtesy of Bobby Marshall.