Dance Arts Los Alamos to Premiere Neverland Ballet at Spring Gala in April

Dance Arts Los Alamos will present Neverland, a two-act ballet, at 7 p.m. on April 25 and at 2 p.m. on April 26 at Duane Smith Auditorium. The original full-length production re-imagines the beloved characters of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Wendy, Captain Hook, and many more in a new adventure story promising a thrilling theatrical experience suitable for all ages.

Choreography is by Jonathan Guise, Rachel Zervakos, Allison Beaux, Isabella Jimenez, and Audrey Roman, with costume design by Daria Cuthbertson, Rachel Zervakos, and Los Alamos-based artists, and production design by Jonathan Guise in collaboration with Los Alamos High School stage craft classes and theater director Joseph Santi-Unger. The performance will feature the advanced levels of DALA's ballet program, showcasing pre-professional students in the principal roles, while the Pirates and Lost Boys highlight DALA's Boys Ballet dancers, who will bring dancing, fencing, and acting skills to the stage. In one of the production's more distinctive casting choices, Los Alamos-based physicist Thanos Stamatopoulos will portray the formidable Captain Hook, and DALA alumna Caroline Wurden serves as his loyal but bumbling first mate, Smee.

In conjunction with the ballet, DALA will host its fourth annual Spring Gala fundraising event at New Beginnings Church on Saturday, April 25, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., preceding the premiere performance of Neverland. Tickets to the gala are $75 and include admittance to both the Spring Gala event and a reserved seat at the Saturday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. opening performance of Neverland. New Beginnings Church is located at 112 East Road in Los Alamos, with Duane Smith Auditorium just a short drive away at 1300 Diamond Drive.

Guests can expect an elegant pre-show event celebrating the theme of Neverland, including "Never-Grow-Up Mocktails" and catered hors d'oeuvres, music, and dancing, followed by a special performance by DALA's Adaptive Dance Program, presentations from Artistic Staff and Board of Directors, opportunities to financially support DALA's nonprofit programs, and the exclusive announcement of the 2026-2027 season programming.

The weekend's schedule extends beyond the gala and ballet. Friday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m. features DALA's Spring Dance Concert, showcasing the organization's growing modern dance program in addition to hip hop, flamenco, swing, tap, jazz, Scottish Highland Dance, contemporary ballet, and more. Saturday morning brings a separate showcase: Beauty and the Beast at 11:00 a.m. at Duane Smith Auditorium, performed by DALA's Young Children's Program dancers. A second performance of Neverland follows Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. for those who want another chance to see the full production.

Dance Arts Los Alamos is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been operating in Los Alamos County for over thirty years. DALA offers classes for ages 18 months through adult with over 75 hours of instruction per week across disciplines including Dance Exploration, Pre-Ballet, Classical Ballet and Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Flamenco, Classical Spanish, Tap, Musical Theatre, and Adaptive Dance, a class for dancers with disabilities to practice motor skills, rhythm, and movement discovery in a safe, paced, and professional environment.

The organization has built a track record of staging full-length original productions. Last spring, Artistic Director Jonathan Guise premiered La Lune de Bleu at Duane Smith Auditorium; that weekend also included DALA's Mixed Repertoire Showcase and a Young Children's Showcase production of Alice in Wonderland. Neverland continues that pattern of pairing the annual gala with a world premiere. Selected advanced dancers compete annually at the Youth America Grand Prix international ballet competition; at YAGP 2024, DALA was awarded a Top 12 Score for Large Ensemble, and in 2025 the company placed in the Top 6 for Large Ensemble and advanced to the international finals.

All performances will take place at Duane Smith Auditorium, 1300 Diamond Drive, with tickets available for online purchase and also at the door. The auditorium, located on the campus of Los Alamos High School, has hosted concerts, plays, musicals, and ballets over the years, featuring a 2,800-square-foot stage and seating for up to 944.