INDISU Dance Theater students will ring in the Christmas season at the Philipsburg Cultural Centre this weekend with a thrilling and heart-warming rendition of the popular Holiday musical “Annie”. The cast of 66 students ages 5 to 25 will dance, sing and shine to the classics “Hard Knock Life” and “Tomorrow”, while introducing catchy and entertaining new additions from the 2021 live remake.
Annie tells the extraordinary story of a spunky young orphan girl (played by Danielle Hodge & Xhyann Duzong), who is convinced that her parents are still alive and will one day return to claim her. She is invited to spend the Holidays with billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Tyreke Arrindell) and Ms. Grace (Sidanae Davelaar Richardson & Mai-Angel Martis), much to the dismay of the mean orphanage owner Miss Hannigan (Savannah Ortega & Keziah Hoeve).
Mr. Warbucks would like to adopt the young girl, but she asks for his help to find her parents. He offers a $50,000 reward, which attracts the attention of con artists Rooster (Ian Soriano), Lily (Surya Bille & Chantal Williams) and the wicked Miss Hannigan. They hatch a plot to disguise themselves as Annie’s parents and take the money, but – fret not! – the story has a sweet ending, with Annie, Daddy Warbucks, Grace and the whole gang living happily ever after.
Directors and choreographers Susha Hien and Ihndhira Richardson-Marlin spent the last 12 weeks preparing two casts to knock your socks off with Broadway-worthy dancing, laughter and Christmas cheer. “Placing two dancers in each lead role has given our students the opportunity to learn from each other, challenge each other and push themselves outside of their comfort zones in their pursuit of excellence,” said the dynamic duo. They invited vocalist Nalia Muriel along the journey to train the voices of these multi-talented young artists, as INDISU works to expand its musical programme in the years to come.
Each ticket for the show includes a “Jingle to L.A.” raffle ticket which will raise funds to cover the cost of INDISU Dance Theater’s fourth visit to Dance Excellence Los Angeles in the Spring of 2024. The delegation of 17 dancers vows to once again put Sint Maarten on the map and leave the international attendees wanting more! Raffle prizes will be drawn during the intermission of each show.
So come out and support these young artists as they pave their way to L.A., put on a performance of a lifetime, and remind you that “you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”
Audiences can enjoy cast-A on Saturday, December 2, at 7:00pm or Sunday, December 10, at 4:00pm. Cast-B takes the lead on Sunday, December 3, at 7:00pm and Saturday, December 9, at 7:00pm for an equally brilliant set of shows. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students, and are available at Van Dorp (both locations), EBS Executive Business Services on Bush road and INDISU Studios.
