Part of The New York Theatre Ballet’s "Once Upon a Ballet" series, which takes children’s classics like "The Nutcracker" and "Cinderella" and turns them into one-hour ballets tailor-made for children, "The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies" is a fun, enchanting, and colorful take on the cherished Lewis Carroll classic. Amid the stunning storybook set cleverly designed by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith, the spectacular and tireless dancers twirled and leaped in a combination of ballet, vaudeville, and clowning choreographed by Keith Michael. The bright costumes by Sylvia Taalshon Nolan were the perfect complement to the scenery and added much playfulness to the characters.

Some favorite characters and scenes were the hilarious and clownish duo of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, who doubled in a memorable scene as the Duchess and the Cook that also employed a talented young dancer as the baby-turned-pig. The Cheshire Cat was thrillingly mischievous, performing mysterious tricks such as hiding her paws behind a screen and making them appear on the other side of the stage, and showed off her illusion of floating up in the air. The Queen of Hearts was delightfully devilish as she shouted, “Off with their heads!” and ordered the playing cards to paint the roses red. The best scene, however, was a recitation of “Jabberwocky” with 11 of the dancers spouting off the nonsense poem as they performed an intricate and rhythmic handclap routine.

"The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies" is a wonderful way to introduce young audiences to the magic of ballet, as it is accessible for children but also intelligent and sophisticated enough for adults. Even if you do not have a little one to take with you, it is advised to follow this imaginative company and their "Once Upon a Ballet" series as they reinterpret beloved stories with their own magical twist.

"The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies" has concluded its run, but the New York Theatre Ballet will perform "Cinderella" on March 1 & 2. For tickets and information, please visit nytb.org.