Imagine Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter flying playfully through the enormous, old live oaks at Ashantilly Center in Darien — or Cinderella, gracefully tumbling through the soft, coastal air instead of riding in a pumpkin coach.
These scenes are part of the Canopy Repertory Company’s themed aerial dance performance, “Fractured Fairy Tales,” which will come alive at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Ashantilly Center.
Ashantilly, an elegant 200-year-old historical house, is situated among live oaks as old as — or older than — the house itself. During the performance, graceful dancers will glide, slide and sinuously move on fabric trapezes, called “silks,” which will hang from the limbs of the beautiful trees.  
Dancing alone or in groups of two or more, the performers will move with agility through the air, similar to Cirque du Soleil routines. Twelve performers will participate in the show, which will include a lyra, which is a steel hoop, and a welded triangle.
The show will include aerial dances based on “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Frog Prince,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella,” among others. Tickets are $30, and the fee includes wine and light hors d’oeuvres.  To buy tickets, call 912-289-1144 or e-mail ashantillycenter@gmail.com.