Kontara Morphis’ Alice Shimmies From Wonderland To Underland

Source: iOne Digital Creative Services

Kontara Morphis, creator of the contemporary ballet, UNDERLAND x Alice (pronounced “Underland by Alice”), gives audiences a unique take on the enduring tale, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Writer, director, and choreographer Morphis spins her own version of the beloved story, this time, the protagonist is 13-year-old Alice, who is part of the Black elite of 1920s Tulsa, Oklahoma. Alice is celebrating her 13th birthday on the eve of what came to be known as the Tulsa race massacre, but familiar core characters like the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and Queen of Hearts remain.

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UNDERLAND, which has very few spoken words, mines African American culture including its various dance styles and even roller skating, as the past seamlessly blends into the afro-future. Kontara, 35, notes that while UNDERLAND is set in the past, it’s not a historical ballet. But she does promise to get more of the true Tulsa massacre—where up to 300 people were killed in a vicious race riot—into a sequel.

The lead character in UNDERLAND x Alice is a 13-year-old Black girl who is part of the Black elite of 1920s Tulsa, Oklahoma. | Source: Rene Rosensteel

In March 2024, UNDERLAND debuted at New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh, and the 300-seat theater sold out all three runs. Kontara says she wants to take UNDERLAND on the road—and though it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, she’s already begun working on its prequel and sequel.

Morphis says she chose a story familiar to audiences because some of Alice’s life mirrors her own, and because she wanted to be challenged.

Dancer, choreographer and director Kontara Morphis, the creator of UNDERLAND x Alice. | Source: JVisionary Visuals

“I chose that story because it’s so chaotic,” she explains. “I really wanted my first production to be something I would really have to work through.”

She also notes that as a young adult, she, too, identified with Alice.

“Alice created this reality for herself in Wonderland. And then [went] through all these different trials within her family and within her community, I found it very relatable to the African American as a whole.”

Morphis says that she began to tell Alice’s story via the three realms of Underland. The first realm is society, “and how there’s a lot that goes on in society which is averse to African Americans.” The next realm is the (Black) community, which has its own unspoken rules and social mores. “We have our own lingo, ‘what goes on in this house stays in this house;’ we have our own thing that others may not understand; and sometimes, we have this crabs in a barrel mentality,” she notes. The third realm concerns family and family dynamics. “Just those little things—the family turmoil that happens between relatives,” she says.

And while UNDERLAND x Alice is a predominantly African American-based production, Morphis cast people from all walks of life and viewpoints, including those from other countries, as well as those from the Black LGBTQ communities. She’s willing to show the underside, or ugly, of society, communities, and families, but stresses the beauty as well.

“We are able to still thrive and be great,” she affirms. “Even with all of those things going on; it’s by working together.

“And I really feel like it was done well [in UNDERLAND.] We had people crying; we had people laughing at the right parts—we had people coming up at the end of the show saying, ‘I went through this.’ And it was people of different nationalities which was really cool. And so yea, it did what it was supposed to do.”

Morphis’ production UNDERLAND x Alice sold out all shows at Pittsburgh’s New Hazlette Theater in March 2024. | Source: Rene Rosensteel

It took about a year to complete UNDERLAND because Morphis wanted to put her own stamp on it.

“I wanted there to be similarities between Alice in Wonderland and my story, but I didn’t want it to be the same. I wanted it to stand on its own,” she stresses. “And so, I took my time.” In fact, she was adding finishing touches to the script days before the show.

One does not have to wonder much why Morphis chose a young person to star in her debut. She’s been working with young people in Pittsburgh for quite some time. She interfaces with youth as a dance teacher at private and charter schools through her company, K-Theater Dance Complex.

In the production, Alice is turning 13. And Morphis says she chose that age specifically because it’s a significant one, where you’re beginning adulthood, which brings a lot of new responsibility and even turmoil.

“What I enjoy most about working with young people is the element of surprise,” Morphis says. The kids from the charter schools take her class as an art elective and don’t necessarily have a choice. They’re graded for the class, too.

“And I always get kids that are like, ‘I don’t dance, I don’t do this.’ But by the time we’re at the end, they’re the ones raising their hands for solos, or want some kind of main part. So, watching them develop a passion for what I’m passionate about is really exciting.”

Morphis says the protagonist in Lewis Carroll’s book, who created a life for herself in Wonderland, “is very relatable to the Black American experience as a whole.” | Source: Rene Rosensteel / Rene Rosensteel

And as for the future, the terpsichorean’s got it all figured out. “The objective is to get it to a place where each one of the shows can stand on its own, but you’re so engulfed in what you see, that you want to see the others. Wait – there’s more? It’s almost like a first book and it’s a complete book and you might not necessarily have to read the others to understand it – that’s what I’m going for.”

Although Morphis started dancing as a child, she continues to honor that dancer within – even as a 35-year-old adult.

“I’ve always been fearful of public speaking and so I’ve always hid behind dance,” she admits. “Like I can express myself no matter how I want to through movement. And so, for this, I was like, why would I change that? I want people to be able to understand me the way I’m most comfortable presenting myself.”

Angela Bronner is a writer, editor, and educator based in Harlem, NY.

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