Frozen Summer Dance Camp

Ms. Jenn’s Frozen Musings on a Snow Melting Day

Does your child love Disney’s animation extraordinaire Frozen? Or, perhaps you dear reader, love it! Indeed I am a Frozen fan, but I met with Frozen in a more unlikely way than perhaps you have. I can never forget my first experience with Frozen. Many years ago, I returned to my dance teaching career after summer break eager to see new and returning students, all who were excited to get to dance class. We brushed up on the basics and then our first free dance time of the season was upon us, when suddenly I was overwhelmed with little ones asking for me to play “Let It Go” and saying “Elsa.” Clueless after a summer of barbequing more than staying afloat on summer blockbusters, this came as a surprise. I have never experienced such enthusiasm (and still to this day haven’t) in all of my 17 years teaching for a specific song! I knew I had best get on the internet and youtube this song for the kids STAT.

I was sure treated to a show! Singing AND dancing all in one studio! Everyone loves “Let It Go!.” Going forward, I bought the Frozen DVD, and not knowing the story, watched it with my one and only sibling, big sister. Viewing with my big sister made it a memorable experience, as we surely could identify with the relationship Elsa and Anna have together in the story. We also enjoyed the way Disney intertwined humor for the whole family, and the artistry of the animation.

As with many Disney classics, the story is based, “loosely,” on a fairy tale, in this case the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. (https://ohmy.disney.com/insider/2013/07/30/the-story-behind-the-story-of-frozen/). One can surely see how the Snow Queen story was indeed a musing for Frozen, yet with certainty Frozen is an original tale. Disney’s story does not follow the plot of the Snow Queen. As for the characters, while there is an ice sorceress and her sister in the classic fairy tale, there’s not much else character wise that relates the original characters to those found in Frozen. I encourage you to take a read of the classic Snow Queen, and enjoy comparing the Andersen work to Disney’s. What things are similar, and where do they digress?

Relating to dance, many great ballets are based on fairy tales such as the popular Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella ballets. Perhaps due to the popularity of Frozen, in the recent past many world renown ballet companies have performed renditions of The Snow Queen fairy tale including the Scottish Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, and the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. Excitingly, Maryland’s own Ballet Theatre of Maryland did a production of it in February of 2020. The story itself of Frozen is now a Broadway Musical, but unfortunately many productions of the musical have been interrupted due to the pandemic.

Children love dance, fairy tales and of course Frozen! At Hampden Dance Arts, we combine all 3 to offer a week long dance camp for little lovers of Frozen! Campers will enjoy a week of immersion in creativity including music, ballet class, choreography and crafting inspired by the stories the of the Snow Queen and Frozen. Click below for more information on our summer dance camp and to register! We look forward to dancing with you!