Hannaford Supermarkets Sponsors In-School Program to Teach Dance in Physical Education Programs for Grades K-3
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The Richard B. Fisher Center for Performing Arts at Bard College has partnered with Hannaford Supermarkets to bring the magic of dance to approximately 200 students in grades K–2 at the Mill Road Elementary School in Red Hook. The outreach program, sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, is being conducted in conjunction with upcoming performances of Mark Morris’s acclaimed production of The Hard Nut—a hilarious update of The Nutcracker and a loving homage to Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet. The Red Hook Central School District is an Arts in Education Partner with Bard College. In the weeks leading up to the December 15 opening of The Hard Nut, June Omura, an award-winning dancer and teaching artist from the Mark Morris Dance Group, will visit the participating physical education classes, teach students a series of different movements within the dance vocabulary, and then teach a portion of The Hard Nut’s choreography. Additionally, students are introduced to the rich history of The Nutcracker ballet and to composer Piotr Tchaikovsky, author E. T. A. Hoffman, and Mark Morris’s interpretation of this classic. Finally, students and their families will have the opportunity to see the choreography learned in the classroom performed live at the Fisher Center during a special invitation-only dress rehearsal. The Hard Nut will be presented Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16 at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Saturday, December 16 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 p.m. # # # (12.07.06)