The mark of a great work of art is how easily it can be used as a metaphor or adapted into another great work – how many times have we seen the Mona Lisa reinterpreted; how many plays and films borrow/steal the plot of Romeo and Juliet? Nao Dance Collective’s artistic director, Linda Elchak, says that something just clicked for her while reading C.S. Lewis’ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Alice’s trip into a confusing upside-down-and-backward world reminded Elchak of her own child’s journey through everyday life, negotiating his autism at school and at home. Her artistic epiphany finds life as a guided tour behind the looking glass and down the rabbit hole, as ticket holders follow a musical-backpack-wearing escort through a series of staged tableaux and interactive scenes in leafy-green Dickson Azalea Park featuring the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter and other charming lunatics. – Jessica Bryce Young
This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2012.
