What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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Zeek Wright and Kaley Kirkman Althausen will dance in "Aurora's Wedding," from Act 3 of the ballet "Sleeping Beauty," on April 1 at Arend Arts Center in Bentonville. (Courtesy Photo) Wynne also sees this as an opportunity for students and parents to see the transition "from a childhood passion or childhood joy into a professional career." "You begin as a student with a love for movement, and you go through all those challenges of developing your technique, being a person who finds this joy or this passion or this connection to live performance and where that can go," Wynne explains. "Then you have the company dancers who studied dance professionally, not only in very different conservatories across the country, but also have a four- year degree in dance. So it's a great opportunity for parents to make that bridge between 'this is my 3-year-olds' passion, and she loves doing it,' [to] here are eight 30-year-olds who are doing this professionally." The April 1 showcase at Arend Arts Center will also feature a "Jazz Jam," choreographed by Rebecca Cannan, who just moved here from Florida in August of 2022 after dancing and choreographing professionally for several years. She previously taught at New World School of the Arts, an arts high school and college in Miami for the last 20 years. Now she teaches at the Arkansas Arts Academy and is an occasional guest teacher at the Conservatory. "The title of the piece is 'Jazz Jam' because of the music, not the style or genre of dance," she explains. "The style of the choreography is considered modern or contemporary dance. The music is of the jazz genre. I chose this music and the style because of the energy of the music." Cannan adds that modern dance is offered on a limited basis at the Conservatory. "There are so many styles or types of modern dance. That's one of the things I love most about modern or contemporary dance. It's so wide open, it frees the choreographer to do almost anything he or she can imagine," she says. "In today's professional dance world, dancers need to be versatile," Cannan adds. "Many major ballet companies are performing modern and contemporary works as part of their repertoire. Dancers need to be able to adapt to different choreographers and styles of movement. "The Conservatory is giving these young dancers a chance to experience this by having me choreograph a piece for them. My piece challenges the dancers to step out of their comfort zone and go beyond what they already know. I so appreciate their enthusiasm and willingness to push themselves further than I think many of them thought possible," she adds. 6 WHAT'S UP! MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2023 FAQ 'Aurora's Wedding' And Other Selections WHAT — A ballet featur- ing "Sleeping Beauty, Act 3, Aurora's Wedding" presented by the North- west Arkansas Conserva- tory of Classical Ballet; a new contemporary work choreographed by Rebecca Cannan; and a special feature ballet by Northwest Arkansas Ballet Theatre and choreographed by Artistic Director Stephen Wynne. WHEN — 2 & 7 p.m. April 1 WHERE — Arend Arts Center in Bentonville COST — $20 INFO — nwaballet.com/auro- ras-wedding BONUS — Registration for summer 2023 programs at Northwest Arkansas Conservatory of Classi- cal Ballet opens April 10. Registration for the 2023-24 school year will open in August. More information at nwaballet.com. Ballet Continued From Page 5 BENTONVILLE 479-443-5600 https://www.sonamusic.org/ Symphony of Northwest Arkansas Paul Haas, Music Director The Season Continues at Walton Arts Center Battle of the Bands APRIL 8 A collaboration with Fayetteville Jazz Collective Evoking Folklore APRIL 29 Featuring guest pianist Angela Cheng Tickets On Sale Now! sonamusic.org / 479.443.5600 Paul Haas, Music Director