{"id":233197,"date":"2026-04-15T20:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/233197\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T20:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:09:08","slug":"um-en-pointe-ballet-club-prepares-to-bring-alice-in-wonderland-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/233197\/","title":{"rendered":"UM En Pointe Ballet Club prepares to bring \u2018Alice in Wonderland\u2019 to life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo Editor Brian Mulvey \/\/ Students as Alice and the Cheshire Cat dance at En Pointe Ballet club dress rehearsal on April 9. 2026.<\/p>\n

From the Cheshire Cat to the Queen of Hearts, the University of Miami\u2019s En Pointe Ballet Club is set to bring \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d to the stage on Saturday, April 18. Performances are scheduled for 4:00 p.m and 7:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Auditorium.<\/p>\n

From choreography to costumes, the student-led production reflects both artistic creativity and extensive planning. The club, which was founded last fall, has spent weeks rehearsing while managing the logistical demands of staging a full ballet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started working on it in December,\u201d said Emily Huffman, the club\u2019s treasurer and public relations director. \u201cWe have auditions at the beginning of the semester, and then about 10 to 12 weeks of rehearsal before the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rehearsals have required a major time commitment from both dancers and leadership. Huffman said she personally spends eight to 10 hours a week preparing for the production, which includes coordinating the venue, organizing production and helping design costumes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty all-encompassing process,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cWe do everything from booking the venue to sewing parts of the costumes ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the technical side of production plays a key role, dancers are also balancing rigorous rehearsals with academic and extracurricular commitments.<\/p>\n

Dani Vega, who plays Alice, said the cast has rehearsals with long sessions dedicated to both technique and character development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe prioritize rehearsals on Sundays for about four hours,\u201d Vega said. \u201cThe first hour is class, and the last three hours are just drilling choreography.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Vega, preparing for the lead role goes beyond mastering choreography. The character-driven nature of \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d requires both emotional expression and technical precision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about dancing as much as it is about acting,\u201d Vega said. \u201cShe has so many emotions, so it\u2019s been fun to channel that in rehearsals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production also highlights the club\u2019s collaborative nature, with dancers of varying experience levels coming together to create a cohesive performance. According to Vega, the club\u2019s inclusive environment encouraged her to return to dance after stepping away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw how inclusive the club was and how it was open to everyone regardless of experience,\u201d Vega said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes, one of the biggest challenges has been managing costs. While the University provides funding for production elements such as the venue and lighting, costumes require additional creativity and fundraising.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have about $2,500 for the whole year for costumes,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cWith 25 dancers and multiple roles, it doesn\u2019t go a long way, so we reuse costumes and add accessories where we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, the club is using the production as an opportunity to push creative boundaries. This version of Alice in Wonderland incorporates a mix of dance styles, including contemporary, jazz and even tap.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to push the box a little more,\u201d Huffman said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really interesting variety, and it makes ballet more accessible for people who may have never seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n

For both dancers and organizers, the performance represents the culmination of months of work and a chance to share the arts with a wider audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s so important for people to be exposed to the arts,\u201d Vega said. \u201cTickets are free, so this is the perfect opportunity for students to come see something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students can follow the club\u2019s Instagram, @enpointe, for updates on the show and even joining.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo Editor Brian Mulvey \/\/ Students as Alice and the Cheshire Cat dance at En Pointe Ballet club…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233198,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-233197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}