For the Ballet Theater of Maryland’s 40th anniversary, the stars of the company’s production of “Snow White” are bringing an edgy twist to the classic tale.

Emily Brennan, Jackson Kettell and Lindsey Hinchliffe talked about what it’s like to play Snow White, the Prince and the wicked Queen.

Everyone knows the basic storyline of Snow White. Are you doing anything special with the story?

Brennan: It kind of follows the original Grimm brothers’ story of Snow White. Dianna (Cuatto, Artistic Director) pulled from that and she also pulled from the original Disney movie (1937). She also pulled some of the storylines from the 2012 movie “Snow White and the Huntsman.” It’s a combination of those with her own twists.

The only way Snow White is to come back to life after the queen poisons the apple and makes her eat it is not by true love’s kiss, but by the slaying of a dragon. A couple famous actresses have said lately that they didn’t want their daughters watching ‘Snow White’ because they felt it wasn’t appropriate for them to learn you can take food from strangers and that men can kiss you against your will. [Diana] wanted today’s themes to emanate through her stories. The queen doesn’t hand Snow White the apple, she hypnotizes Snow White to grab it. The prince does not kiss Snow White on the lips. He, like, feels her hand a little bit. Like cheek to hand, and then he has to slay a dragon and that ultimately is what brings her back to life.

How do you get into character?

Hinchliffe: Unlike my character, Regina, I’m not an evil person whatsoever. I’m very nice and I love to laugh. I take all the energy I use to crack jokes and laugh and make everyone else happy, and I channel that into the energy for the anger side.

Brennan: Snow White is such an innocent person and happy all the time and she really cares for everyone. That’s not hard for me because those are some of my natural qualities, but it is hard because it’s similar to a lot of characters that are portrayed in ballets and stories. And you never want two things to look the same.

I watched the “Huntsman” and the original cartoon Disney movie, and the characters in those two are polar opposites. The Disney classic is happy and jolly and cute and has the high pitched voice. In the “Huntsman” she’s played by Kristin Stewart who ... isn’t as bubbly. Diana wants me to portray the more bubbly side, but there is something to say about Snow White standing up for herself and knowing her love will come again and ultimately live on.

Kettell: My character walks on immediately to this very large, glamorous fanfare music. It’s almost hard not to feel important when you’re walking out to something like that. Immediately, that gets me into my character. I’m here, I’m the prince, I got this. I’m kind of a big deal.

The dragon that comes out near the end of act two, is this huge set piece. Looking at it is frightening. We have all these people working the dragon’s wings, body, head and the jaw. It’s easy to feel scared.

What is the dance preparation for this show like?

Brannan: We rehearse Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. We came back from winter break on Jan. 12 and have been following that schedule since in preparation for this show. Our first performance was on Feb. 3, so we really only had from Jan. 12 to Feb. 3 to put together a brand new production, which is a really hard task for not only Diana because she has to come up with everything in a really short time period, but it’s harder for us as well.

When we do ballets that have been performed in the past, there’s always a DVD we can go back to for reference if we forget “Oh, what scene happens after this scene,’ or ’I forgot what set comes next.’ But when there’s a new ballet that doesn’t exist yet it’s really important for us, especially as three of the leading roles in the production, to know the order of the show, to understand the story, all on top of also knowing the steps and the musicality.

For myself, I would go home and lay in bed and think about every step I did that day and every step that I knew from previous days. Then I’d go back from the beginning and go through every step I knew from previous days. That was the only way I could keep it straight so it doesn’t get jumbled and confusing in my brain. We’re going to keep pushing forward and learning new stuff. For me, the hardest part was maintaining the order of things. A lot of brain power was used in the making of “Snow White.”

Kettell: I always feel for Emily because I’m not the quickest to pick up new choreography so I’m always wanting to go over the steps I learned in the last run. Most of my steps are with Emily and I know she’s always going over her own steps in her head, so then I’m always telling her, “Also help me!”

Hinchliffe: My favorite part has been dancing against Jackson. We do a lot of similar moves, so to jump as high as him and to be on his level is a great challenge for me.

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