Raritan Valley Community College Main Stage Series Presents THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE

A pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Treat is in store for the whole family when Randy James' all male Dance Company, 10 Hairy Legs, and invited female guest artists will dance James' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College on Sunday, November 20 at 3:00 pm for public audiences and again on Monday, November 21 at 10:00 am for school groups. Tickets for the November 20 show are $20 and $30, and $7.00 for students on November 21. Tickets: RVCCArts Online.

C. S Lewis' beloved and magical novel comes to life through dance. The classic story, set in the fictitious Narnia, features Lewis' characters - the heroine Lucy and her brother Edmund, The White Witch, The Wolf, Nymphs, Giants and of course Aslan The Lion. The dance is set to a score comprised of works of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, including his renowned Davidde Penitente. Scenic Design and Lighting are by John Lasiter and Costumes by Abraham Cruz. The work was underwritten in part by a Major Grant from The Hyde & Watson Foundation.

Following its World Premiere in January 2016, Robert Johnson wrote of James' take: "...gives viewers the chance to embroider the script on their own, making the experience of watching (the) dance both personal and profound."

Featured dancer Monica Gonzalez, a New Jersey native who portrays Lucy, stated, "I saw Randy James' original The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was eight years old. When I was younger, seeing performances like this were hugely inspiring to me. The artistic qualities of professional dancers seemed like greater-than-life feats, and would spur me to work harder than ever in my next dance class. To perform the role of Lucy now feels incredible! I have the opportunity to invigorate others, the way I once was." James created a version of the work in 1998 for his former company, Randy James Dance Works.

Presented in one act, this inter-generational dance performance is suitable for families and children ages 4 and older. Large print programs available upon request by contacting bsobo@10hl.org no less than one week in advance of the show. The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College is a barrier-free facility. Study Guides for Classroom Teachers are available to be downloaded 10HL Study Guide.

About 10 Hairy Legs

10 Hairy Legs is an all-male repertory Dance Company performing existing and newly commissioned works. We have commissioned 12 works from choreographers Doug Varone, Doug Elkins, Tiffany Mills, Manuel Vignoulle, Julie Bour, Megan Williams and founder Randy James. We have served more than 65,000 patrons, students, artists and educators throughout the NY/NJ region, in NYC at New York Live Arts, The 92ndStreet Y, Brooklyn Dance Festival, Modern Dance at Bryant Park, Dixon Place, Gibney Dance, Joe's Pub, West End Theatre, Fire Island for the DRA Benefit Week End, Dance at Socrates, Koresh Come Together Festival; on tour to the Choregus Dance Festival in Tulsa, OK, Seattle, WA, The Cayman Islands, New England and Rhode Island; and Rhode Island; broadcast nationally and internationally on NJTV's State of the Arts, The Meredith Vieira Show and Nick Cannon's Red Nose Dancathon, and in residence at the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. In December 2016 we will be the only American Dance Company appearing at the Ikapa Dance Festival in Cape Town, SA. We provide a wide range of education programs for all ages focusing on the many facets of maleness as expressed through dance, serving more than 6,500 students and educators each year.

In 2015 10 Hairy Legs launched 10 HL Projects, which includes women for specific productions outside of the all male company. The first of these was a new full-length work based upon C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, choreographed by James that had its World Premiere at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in January 2016.

Our Artistic Collaborators are choreographers Julie Bour, Seàn Curran, David Dorfman, Dan Froot, Doug Elkins, Heidi Latsky, CLeo Mack, Tiffany Mills, David Parker, Stephen Petronio, Claire Porter, Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor, Doug Varone, Manuel Vignoulle, Christopher Williams and Megan Williams; musicians Tigger Benford, Sarah Biber, Jane Chung, Lachlan Glen, Kyle Olson, Robert Maggio, Michael Wall, Dorian Wallace and Peter Whitehead; and designers Abraham Cruz, Oana Botez, Cindy Capraro, Benjamin Heller, John Lasiter, Naomi Luppescu,Mary Kokie McNaugher, Dennis O'Leary-Gullo, Lauren Parrish, Amanda Ringger, Amanda Shafran, Ken Tabatchnik and Olivier Theyskens. In addition to their work with 10 Hairy Legs, our company members are currently featured artists with The Bang Group, Stephen Petronio Company and Zvi Dance, among others.