Bellydance Evolution Presents its Spectacular Production ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Celebrating, exploring, and uniting Middle Eastern and Western dance for the 21st century, Los Angeles-based Bellydance Evolution presents Alice in Wonderland at El Portal MainStage Theatre in North Hollywood on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 2 at 4:30 p.m., launching a west coast tour which continues on to Everett and Tacoma, WA and Portland, OR. Founded in 2009, world renowned choreographer, Jillina Carlano, created arevolutionary approach to the whimsical and magical tale, re-imagining the colorful, iconic - and dare some say, "mad" - characters through the language of world fusion dance. Presenting theatrical dance shows with a storyline, much like a ballet, Bellydance Evolution features a cast of 20 international performers who are passionate about their art in the fields of Middle Eastern dance and music, break dance, theatrical hip-hop, contemporary, tribal and fusion dance, each bringing their own unique vision to the production.

Bellydance Evolution's Alice in Wonderland promises to take the audience on a spectacular journey that will excite both mainstream audiences and dance enthusiasts. Based on the Alice in Wonderland book, the performance is appropriate for all ages. Performing to sold-out crowds in over twenty countries spanning North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, Bellydance Evolution recently performed in Morocco with the Orchestra Philharmonic de Morocco in an "East meets West" collaboration performance and performed a 28 city, 35-performance tour of China.

"I am so excited to perform in my hometown of Los Angeles again with the return of Alice in Wonderland. We have performed this show throughout Asia, Europe, South Africa and Morocco and are thrilled to share Alice in Wonderland in Los Angeles, Oregon and Washington State this April," exclaimed Carlano.

In conjunction with the Alice in Wonderland performances in North Hollywood, Bellydance Evolution offers several Workshops "I Follow Rivers: A Tribal Fusion Lovely with a Hint of Jazz!," "Mystery in Movement," "Performance Skillz: The Emotional Exploration of Dance," "The Art of Playing the Darbuka," and "Thunder Drum." These classes are available individually or as an entire package. More information can be found on the Bellydance Evolution website.

Alice in Wonderland stars Jillina Carlano (Queen of Hearts), Heather Aued (Alice), Sharon Kihara (The Caterpillar), Rin Ajna (The Mad Hatter), Ellyott Colon (The White Rabbit), and Ozzy Ashkenazi (The Chef).

Continuing the successful formula established by past productions such as Immortal Desires and Dark Side of the Crown,Bellydance Evolution ensemble performs to a theatrical score commissioned from film and television composer Paul Dinletir, owner/director of Los Angeles-based 'audiomachine', who has written and produced trailer music for The Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Avatar, and the music for the opening ceremonies of the last two Summer Olympics.

Bellydance Evolution was created with a mission to unite Eastern and Western culture through dance and this intention is evident in the works of the company through their education and residency programs. Together, these initiatives celebrate the dynamic aesthetics of world fusion dance, culture and creativity, by sharing the joy of dance with all communities. With the success of their residency program, Bellydance Evolution has established ensemble company members in the USA, Europe, Asia and Latin America, which allows this large scale production to perform all over the globe. [HA1] In addition to this specialized performance program, principal cast members offer seminars that are open to all people in the community, giving dancers and non-dancers alike an opportunity to learn about this diverse and important cultural art form from accomplished masters in the field.

Jillina Carlano, Founder, Executive/Artistic Director (The Queen of Hearts) is a performer, master instructor, choreographer, director and producer, Jillina has devoted her life to dance. Jillina pulls from a strong dance background in Middle Eastern, folklore, jazz, ballet, and hip hop to create a colorful Middle Eastern fusion repertoire. She travels extensively, teaching seminars and performing in concerts worldwide. Jillina has co-produced 12 instructional DVDs, which are now offered in five different languages and distributed by Universal Records. In the summer of 2009 and 2010, Jillina was the first American to be invited as a featured performer in the prestigious closing gala at the Ahlan Wa Sahlan festival in Egypt. Jillina is the owner of Evolution Dance Studios, located in Universal City, California, USA.

Paul Dinletir, Music Composer, is the co-founder and lead composer for 'audiomachine', a boutique, motion picture advertising music production collective, specializing in original epic music and bone crunching sound design for theatrical trailers, television commercials and video game advertising campaigns. Since 2005, Paul has had his music place in countless feature film trailers and can be heard daily on television, radio and the internet, including the music for the past two Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies. To create his Signature Sound, Paul records with the world's top orchestras and musicians in exclusive spaces such as Skywalker Ranch and Air Studios of London. He has composed exclusive music for blockbuster campaigns such as The Hobbit, Avatar, Life of Pi, Hunger Games, 300 and Snow White and the Huntsman. In creating original scores for Bellydance Evolution, Paul composes and records an emotional, dramatic soundtrack. He works side by side with the artistic director to bring the show to life and is an integral part of the creative process.

Alice in Wonderland has two performances: Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 4:30 p.m.Tickets range from $13-$39. El Portal MainStage Theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood. For tickets and information, call (818) 508-4200 or go to https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10123576. Like us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/BellydanceEvolutionPage. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @BDEvolution.