Mira Swartzlander is going to cut off a foot of her hair live on stage.
Typical Mulan.
Swartzlander, 18, and Margaret Faoro, 17, are each playing the Chinese warrior on back-to-back nights this weekend in "Mulan: The Ballet."
Margaret Faoro plays Mulan on Sunday, April 9.
Seniors at Catalina Foothills High School and Empire High School, respectively, the girls are going out with a bang β like the fireworks Mulan sets off at the end of the Disney movie to save China from Shan Yu.
The two-hour ballet put on by the Arizona Arts Conservatory and Collective combines Disney's Mulan with elements from the original Chinese ballad, says Swartzlander.
The ballet also showcases traditional Chinese dance, which Swartzlander teaches weekly at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center.
Mira Swartzlander plays Mulan Saturday, April 8 and plans to chop off about a foot of her hair on stage.
"We took some of the inspiration, and the music that we pulled, from the soundtrack of the Disney movie," says Mark Nichols, the director of the ballet. "We wanted to make sure we kept the comedy and sarcasm and playfulness that Disney added to the story line."
Besides, who doesn't love "Reflection" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You?"
"It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl. You can fight in a war and bring honor to your family," says Faoro, who's headed to the University of Arizona in the fall. She hopes to eventually get into an arts program there.
Swartzlander will perform Saturday at a show dedicated to her family after the loss of her grandfather. Faoro takes the stage Sunday, when a percentage of ticket sales will be dedicated to building a memorial at Empire High School for a friend of Faoro's who recently died, Nichols says.
"It's been a lot of work," says Swartzlander, who wants to study neuroscience in college. "But it's also a lot of fun because we rehearsed about four days a week (since January), and it takes away some of the homework time that you have, but also build a lot of bonds with the other dancers, and seeing how the ballet comes together bit by bit during the rehearsal is really fun."
Both girls have been doing ballet since they were about 3.
Swartzlander is most excited for the hair-cutting scene. She'll donate her locks when they're gone.
"Mulan is one of my favorite Disney princesses, because she is a strong character and is honorable and goes against her society to do what she thinks is right," Swartzlander says. "I kind of look up to her character in that way."
If you go
What: Mulan: The Ballet
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8 and 4 p.m. Sunday, April 9.
Where: Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave.
Cost: $15 for adults, $12 for age 55+ and military, $10 ages 10 and under.
Buy tickets: tututix.com/client/arizonaartsconservatorycollectiv
Mulan: The Ballet produced by the Arizona Arts Conservatory and Collective.
