Ballo Arthur Pita’s much-loved festive family show The Little Match Girl, directed and choreographed by award-winning Arthur Pita, returns to the stage this Christmas, marking its 10th year anniversary, with performances at DanceEast, Ipswich from 12 to 17 December (including four performances dedicated to schools) and Brighton Corn Exchange from 20 to 24 December 2023.
The Little Match Girl premiered at DanceEast in November 2013 and has since enjoyed five hugely successful festive seasons at Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Studio, two UK and international tours and high critical acclaim.
This year’s cast includes Tanisha Addicott, Catarina Barbosa, Karl Fagerlund Brekke, Stefanos Dimoulas, Ashley Morgan-Davies, Kynda Ng and musician Phil King.
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story, The Little Match Girl presents a timeless fable about kindness and helping others. This tale of a young street girl’s hopes and dreams is told through dance, song and Frank Moon’s original atmospheric music performed live on stage.
A snowy stage sets the scene for an icy cold Christmas Eve in an imaginary Italian town, where an impoverished little match girl wanders the ever-darkening streets with just one final match to keep her warm. Homeless and hungry, she sees a vision of her beloved grandmother who guides her up into the night sky and takes her to the moon. Now, on a clear night, if you look closely, you might see the light of a shooting star, or is it a match burning brightly?
The Little Match Girl is choreographed and directed by Arthur Pita, with music composed by Frank Moon and set and costume designs by Yann Seabra.
The Little Match Girl is produced by Ballo Arthur Pita. Originally commissioned by DanceEast and supported by Arts Council England.
