Not your typical Nutcracker, to say the least, the Purchase Dance Company’s production of Nutcracker-Eleven will light up the stage of the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College with stunning new choreography and fresh twists on this holiday favorite set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score. More than 130 area children and some 100 of the College’s Conservatory of Dance students are participating in this year’s innovative and elaborate production, creating a festive treat for the whole family to enjoy. Six performances are scheduled between Dec. 8-11 at Purchase College, SUNY, in Purchase, New York.
The Conservatory’s director, Wallie Wolfgruber, describes the Nutcracker’s eighteenth production as “an artistic collaboration that bridges tradition and innovation.” She explains: “This is the classic Nutcracker story, but many of the scenes have new choreography, created by our accomplished faculty and guest artists John Heginbotham and Nicolo Fonte.” Heginbotham, ever energetic and imaginative, is a member of the renowned Mark Morris Dance Group; Fonte is a highly sought-after choreographer here and in Europe. He also happens to be a Purchase College Conservatory of Dance alumnus.
In addition to the new choreography, Wolfgruber is making Nutcracker-Eleven (the “eleven” refers to 2011) even more exciting by bringing in Wendall Harrington, an award-winning projectionist and Yale School of Drama lecturer, to open the show with some dazzling multimedia magic.
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“I don’t want to give away too many surprises,” says Wolfgruber, “but, there will also be some brilliant new costumes, soldiers on pointe, and a neoclassical grand pas de deux.“
In explaining what prompted these changes, Wolfgruber says, “We wanted to engage our students and the Westchester community in an even more creative way. Our exceptionally talented dancers and the children in the production will be performing choreography created just for them by both our world-renowned faculty and our daring and dynamic guest choreographers.”
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For great holiday fun with an exciting new spin, be sure to catch Nutcracker-Eleven at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, located at 735 Anderson Hill Road in Purchase, New York. Performances are Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Dec 11 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. For ticket information, call the box office at 914.251.6200 or visit www. artscenter.org.
About the Purchase Dance Company:
The Purchase Dance Company is the performing company of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College School of the Arts. It annually presents a diversity of works ranging from reconstructions to new works created especially for the Purchase Dance Corps. They perform contemporary, modern and classical ballet repertory at their winter and spring concerts, and at festivals throughout the United States and abroad.
About Purchase College, SUNY:
Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspirations for Purchase were to combine on one campus conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences. Today, Purchase College, SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.
