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Ballet Theatre Company ©

Text Copyright by Stephanie Dattellas

Artwork by Sofia Brummitt

Storybook Design by Kyleigh Olivier

By Stephanie Dattellas Artwork by Sofia Brummitt presents...

Once upon a time, there was a young peasant man named Aladdin living with his mother in an empire in Arabia, constantly longing for a better life. He spent his days causing trouble throughout the marketplace and being chased by the palace guards.

One day, a Mahgrib, a magician from the East, steps in to help Aladdin to escape the palace guards. He has a task for Aladdin, and with a little bit of hypnosis, Aladdin agrees to help.

The Mahgrib creates a powerful wind that takes them deep into the desert. After hours of searching, Aladdin finally finds the entrance to the Cave of Riches.

Aladdin climbs deep into the cave, searching for an old lamp that the Mahgrib sent him to find. In the cave, he discovers many different precious stones: emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds glisten throughout the cave, dancing across the walls in the light.

Once Aladdin finds the lamp, he asks the Mahgrib to help him out of the cave. The Mahgrib tells Aladdin to give him the lamp first, but when Aladdin refuses, the Mahgrib locks him in the cave. Aladdin spends three days and three nights trapped in the darkness, until he suddenly decides to light the lamp. When the lamp is lit, the magical Djinn is released. Upon Aladdin's request, the Djinn transports Aladdin home!

One day, the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Badr al-Budur, is on her way to the bathhouse. It is forbidden for the public to gaze upon the Princess, but this doesn’t stop Aladdin from climbing the walls of the bathhouse to catch another look at her beauty. The Princess sees Aladdin, and when he climbs down to talk to her, she is fascinated by his personality and stories. Suddenly, the guards appear and capture Aladdin, leaving the Princess quite upset.

Aladdin is brought in chains to the Emperor, who sentences him to death. However, Aladdin’s mother, aware of the magic of the lamp, secretly passes it to him. With a blaze of light, Aladdin is transformed into a handsomely dressed young man with great wealth.

Aladdin’s transformation impresses the Emperor, and the Emperor grants Aladdin his daughter’s hand in marriage. The Princess is delighted, and together they enjoy a fabulous wedding full of jewels and dancing. Everyone has a wonderful time at the wedding except for the Mahgrib.

Knowing that Aladdin must have the lamp, the Mahgrib develops a plot to steal it from him so he can gain the riches of the magical object. When Aladdin isn’t home, he dresses up as an old beggar trading new lamps for old ones, and Princess Badr al-Budur is happy to exchange Aladdin’s old lamp with the beggar.

As soon as the lamp touches his hands, the Mahgrib reveals himself and commands the lamp to take him and the Princess to Morocco. The Mahgrib makes the Princess his slave, commanding her to dance and serve him. Princess Badr al-Budur is full of sadness, but suddenly Aladdin appears at her window!

When the Mahgrib is out, Aladdin hides in a chest and tells the Princess to pour a sleeping potion into the Mahgrib’s drink. The Mahgrib returns, taking a drink to quench his thirst. He immediately realizes that something is wrong, but when he goes to grab the lamp, Aladdin jumps out of his hiding spot and fights him for it. As the Mahgrib begins to grow weaker and more tired, Aladdin eventually wins. 

The Djinn in the lamp then brings Aladdin and Princess Badr al-Budur home on a magic carpet. With his new-found wisdom and gratitude, Aladdin promises to never let his beloved Princess out of his sight and frees the Djinn from the lamp to show his appreciation.

Main Characters

Aladdin - Aladdin is a mischievous young man who goes from rags to riches with the help of the Djinn in the magical lamp. Throughout the story, he grows much more responsible and honorable, especially when it comes to protecting his beloved Princess.
The Mahgrib - The Mahgrib is an evil sorcerer who is hungry for wealth and power. He spends most of the story trying to find and steal the magical lamp.
The Djinn - The Djinn, also known as the Slave of the Lamp, is the spiritual being trapped inside the magical lamp. He must obey the commands of the owner of the lamp and grant their requests, until Aladdin sets him free!
Princess Badr al-Budur - Princess Badr al-Budur is the Emperor’s beautiful daughter. She finds Aladdin to be quite interesting even before he becomes wealthy and later in the story, she reveals her bravery when she helps to trick the Mahgrib. The Emperor - The Emperor is the ruler of Agrabah. He does not approve of Aladdin’s behavior at first, but as soon as Aladdin uses the lamp to present the riches of the cave, the Emperor is happy to grant Aladdin his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Aladdin's Mother - Aladdin’s Mother is always looking out for her son. When he is sentenced to death, she is the one who steps in and saves the day by secretly passing the magical lamp to Aladdin.
Rubies - The dancing rubies represent love and passion.
Sapphire - This precious gem from the Cave of Jewels represents water and the ebb and flow of the ocean waves.
Diamond - The diamond represents purity and power, and presides over all of the jewels in the Cave of Riches.

Emeralds - These precious gems represent the balance between regal decorum and envious impropriety.

History of Aladdin

The story of Aladdin comes from a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales called One Thousand and One Nights, also known as The Arabian Nights to the English reader. In 1704, Antoine Galland translated this originally Arabic book into French and added the story “Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp”. This is the Aladdin story that has been adapted and retold for many years since its publication in 1704 and is likely the Aladdin tale with which you are most familiar. Other stories that contributed to the Aladdin story we know today are “The Lovers of Bassorah” and “The Vizier and the Sage Duban.”

You may notice some unusual terms used for characters in Aladdin, such as “Djinn” and “Mahgrib”. These characters come from Arabian and Muslim mythology and culture. A “Djinn” is an intelligent supernatural being or spirit that can take the form of a human or an animal in Arabian mythology. You may recognize this character as a genie in English translation. A “Mahgrib” is an evil magician or sorcerer.

Aladdin is not a ballet that has been performed very often. Carl Davis was commissioned by the Scottish Ballet to create the musical score for an Aladdin ballet back in 2000. However, after the premiere of the ballet, the Scottish Ballet was forced to downsize and the tour of Aladdin was discontinued. Carl Davis kept the musical score alive by officially recording the score in 2005 with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, some ballet companies have revisited it to create their own versions of Aladdin, including the National Ballet of Japan and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Although the ballet is not as popular as classics like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, this story full of magic, courage, and love is sure to excite many audiences.

Ballet Terminology

Demi Plié - a movement in which the dancer bends his or her knees while keeping the heels on the ground
Battement Tendu - when a dancer stretches one leg out and points their toes while standing tall on their other leg
Retiré - a position is created by bending one leg and attaching the pinky toe to the knee of the standing leg
Attitude - a position where the working leg is lifted in the air to the front (devant), side (a la seconde) or to the back (derrière) with the knee bent
Arabesque - a position in which the weight of the body is supported on one leg, while the other leg is extended high in back with the knee stretched

Penché - when a dancer is bent forward over one leg with the other in arabesque well above 90 degree
Grand Jeté - a high jump with one leg stretched out front and the other behind in a split   
Pas de Deux - The French phrase “pas de deux” translates to “step of two”. This refers to a routine performed by two dancers working together

About Ballet Theatre Company Ballet Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit performing arts organization. Since its founding in 1999, BTC has continued to train aspiring professional dancers, stage live-action entertainment, and enrich the community through its youth outreach program. Our Mission Ballet Theatre Company enriches the greater Hartford area by offering professional caliber dance productions, dance education for ages 3 to adult, and dance related workshops free of charge to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity through BTC's Community Youth Outreach Program. Behind the Curtain Mission The mission of BTC’s Behind the Curtain is to expose students to the joys of ballet and develop an understanding of the process behind staging a dance production. It hopes to aspire artistic endeavors in its students, and develop a lifelong connection to arts. About Behind the Curtain Behind the Curtain is affiliated with BTC’s large stage productions such as, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and this season, Aladdin. In opening  students’ eyes to the many wonders of a ballet production, Behind the Curtain aims to share the joys of live performances with young audiences and inspire a lifelong connection to the arts, whether that be as a performer, costumer, member of the crew, or audience member. Integrating the performing arts in education is crucial for shaping the minds of the next generation to think outside the box, follow their dreams, get innovative, and work as a team to create a better future.

About

Stephanie Dattellas Dattellas joined Ballet Theatre Company as Artistic Director and General Manager in June 2017. Since joining the company, Dattellas choreographed and premiered Cinderella (Spring 2018) the first full-length ballet presented by BTC, choreographed and premiered The Nutcracker (December 2018) and Sleeping Beauty (Spring 2019), and created a full-length ballet film for Snow White (Spring 2021). Additionally, Dattellas introduced a new performance to the company’s season, Dancing For A Cause, a benefit performance in collaboration with fellow dance companies in the greater Hartford to raise awareness and money for fellow non-profit organizations in the community. Sofia Brummitt Sofia has been a dedicated student at the School of Ballet Theatre Company for many years, and she is currently a promising member of the Junior Corps de Ballet. As she looks to explore a career in Graphic Design, Sofia has joined BTC's team as a Design Intern, creating digital artwork to complement BTC's main stage productions. She is quite the talented artist, and Ballet Theatre Company is thrilled to have her on the team!Kyleigh Olivier Kyleigh joined the Ballet Theatre Company team in January 2021. As the Outreach Administrator, she has helped to create the Behind the Curtain Bundles and designed digital storybooks for many of BTC's beautiful performances. Through her position, Kyleigh has also enjoyed helping to expand BTC's Raising the Barre program, which brings studio-level dance education classes to Boys and Girls Club locations throughout Hartford, and bring BTC's Everybody Dance Now program back into the studio, through partnership with the Miracle League of CT. She graduated from The Hartt School in May 2021 with a BFA in Dance with a Ballet Pedagogy concentration, along with a minor in Business Management.

The Team