As Western Arkansas Ballet opens the curtain for the 38th annual production of "The Nutcracker," the moment will be both exciting and maybe a little tearful for artistic director Melissa Schoenfeld.
At the first notes of Pyotr Tchaikovsky s "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," visions of ballerinas on a Christmas adorned stage begin to dance in our heads. In keeping with tradition, three area ballets will share the story of Clara, her magical Nutcracker, the Snow Forest and the kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her magical Land of Sweets.
As a little boy growing up in Delaware, Ian Boyan knew by the time he was 6 years old that he wanted to dance. But he didn't know until now after four years of dancing professionally in Rochester, N.Y., and another year teaching in Pennsylvania that dancing would allow him to fly.
"Deliver Us From Mama," by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, the sequel to their "Mama Won't Fly," opens in previews Tuesday and runs through May 21 at Murry's Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock.
As a little boy growing up in Delaware, Ian Boyan knew by the time he was 6 years old that he wanted to dance. But he didn't know until now after four years of dancing professionally in Rochester, N.Y., and another year teaching in Pennsylvania that dancing would allow him to fly.