Dancers' Studio's “The Nutcracker" at the Orpheum Theatre -- December 19 and 20.
Thursday, December 19, and Friday, December 20, 7 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre, 57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg IL
A group of dedicated student dancers will bring their talents to Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on December 19 and 20 when Monmouth, Illinois' Dancer's Studio presents two performances of The Nutcracker, the timeless holiday ballet by composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Adapted from the 1816 story by E.T. A. Hoffman and debuting as a two-act ballet in 1892, The Nutcracker tells of the magical adventures of Clara, a young girl who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams of an enchanted world filled with dancers from many continents, ambulatory toys, an ethereal Sugar Plum Fairy, and much, much more. With Tchaikovsky contributing perhaps the richest and most instantly recognizable of his compositions, The Nutcracker has been a holiday perennial worldwide for generations, whisking audiences to such delightfully otherworldly realms as the Land of Sweets, the Land of Snow, and a battleground for soldiers and mice. Tchaikovsky's ballet has also been the subject of innumerable film and TV adaptations, with familiar portions of its score referenced in everything from Disney's Fantasia to The Simpsons to Grand Theft Auto V.
For its presentations in Galesburg, The Nutcracker is being performed by gifted students of Monmouth's Dancers' Dtudio. As stated at the organization's AtDancersStudio.com Web site, "Dancers' Studio is dedicated to providing a high level of technical training, while inspiring the love and appreciation for dance through exciting performing opportunities! We offer lessons four days a week for children four through 18 years of age. One free trial lesson is offered to new students. All of our students participate in two productions every year at the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg, Illinois.
"While not every student is interested in pursuing dance at a professional level, [company director] Arlene Smith believes in providing every dancer with a high level of technical instruction, regardless of intent. Her students have been accepted into summer dance intensives at the Rock School of Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, Milwaukee School of Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Peoria Ballet, and Illinois Ballet Theater of the Quad Cities. At the university level, her students have been accepted at elite dance programs such as the one offered by Butler University in Indiana.
"Arlene Smith, director, comes from Puerto Rico, where she was a member of Ballets Contemporano de Puerto Rico. Her training was concentrated in classical Ballet under the instruction of Blanca E. Cortes, Carlota Carrero, Lotti Tischer, and Ivan Cordero. Arlene repertoire includes roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Vivaldi, Swan Lake, Coppelia, and numerous original pieces presented by Ballets Contemporaneo. Arlene has been a guest dance instructor at Western Illinois University, in Macomb, Illinois, and was the artistic director of Concert Ballet Ensemble, a non-profit youth ballet company, for four years. In 1999, Arlene established her dance studio in Monmouth, Illinois."
Dancers' Studio's The Nutcracker will be performed at the Orpheum Theatre on December 19 and 20, with performances held at 7 p.m. and admission $30-41.40. For more information and tickets, call (309)342-2299 and visit GalesburgOrpheum.org.
