Search Alma: > Log-in to my Alma


News Releases

Fall Dance Concert Features 'The Nutcracker, Act II,' Other Works

A popular holiday favorite that features beautiful dance movements framed by the music of Tchaikovsky returns to the Alma College stage this fall.

The Alma College Dance Company presents "The Nutcracker, Act II" along with two complementary dance pieces: "Six Marimbas" and "Water Study."
 
Performances will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 3 p.m. Sunday Nov. 12 in the Remick Heritage Center. Seating is reserved. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and free for Alma College students with a ticket. Call (989) 463-7304 for ticket information.

"The Nutcracker" has become a holiday tradition. The ballet, based on the book, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman, was first performed in 1892 at the Marinsky Theatre of Russia, home of the Kirov Ballet. "The Nutcracker" eventually came to America in the 1940s.

The Alma College performance of "The Nutcracker" began in 1997, and from 1998 to the present the College has performed the production every other year.

"Alma College holds a position as the only college in Michigan and one of the few in the Midwest to perform 'The Nutcracker,'" said Thomas Morris, associate professor of dance. "As was pointed out in the book, 'Nutcracker Nation,' Alma's production reflects the Scottish heritage of the college and the community.

"This is one of the few productions in the performing arts that draws together so many of the talents of the College and the greater Alma area. In the 10 years since its inception, almost 10,000 people have seen Alma's Nutcracker," he said.

This year's performance features many new dancers experiencing "The Nutcracker" for the first time, said Morris.

"'The Nutcracker is a huge production, and we have a large number of people who have not participated with us in the past," said Morris. "I'm very excited to work with these talented students."

Complementing the ballet will be "Six Marimbas," choreographed by Carol Fike, associate professor of dance, and "Water Study," originally choreographed by Doris Humphrey.

"Six Marimbas" is a new piece that will be performed with members of the Alma College Percussion Ensemble playing on stage. The piece involves lots of repetition with "hypnotic rhythms throughout," said Fike.

"Water Study" is an historical modern piece choreographed in the 1940s. Alma College received permission to perform the piece from the Dance Notation Bureau. Odette Blum, an artist-in-residence from Ohio State University, set the work for Alma's dancers during a two-week stay on campus.

-src-






 

 

Alma College students report levels of educational experiences and faculty interaction that exceed the national norms by significant amounts, according to the findings of the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement. In the 2006 study, Alma students reported a level of interaction with faculty that ranked among the top five percent in the nation.

 

Student Profile

Kwon JinJu

Kwon JinJu
Graduation: 2008
Major: Advertising and Public Relations
From: Seoul, South Korea
Interests: Dance, Nature, Travel

Alma has had lasting relationships with colleges and universities in South Korea, with the Korean international students completing one full year of study at Alma. Here at Alma, the international students make lifelong friendships and leave everlasting impacts on our students and on the surrounding communities.