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The American Midwest Ballet will be debuting its program Momentum on February 26 and February 27, 2022, at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Momentum features a wide range of dance artistry in one performance, and it's a show you won't want to miss!
"Momentum is a mixed-repertory program," said Erika Overturff, the company's founder, artistic director, and CEO. "Instead of a single full-length work – like The Nutcracker – it's a collection of several shorter, individual ballets in a variety of distinctive styles."
The Momentum program includes three distinct sections. The first is Tchaikovsky Suite, a large-scale 15-minute classical-style ballet including 16 dancers costumed in tutus and tunics. This idea came when Frederick Davis, an AMB dancer and choreographer, watched a movie at home during the pandemic and heard Piotr Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. "I heard the music, and I could see bodies moving, dancing to the music," he said.
In the second section, dancers will stage live-performance premiers, two with live musical accompaniment, of several works created initially for last year's Going Solo series of dance films. "As dancers, we aren't used to getting a re-do or second chance, as you can do in a film," said Alexandra Hoffman, performer of Michel Fokine's The Dying Swan. "However, there is nothing like performing to a live audience! The excitement and adrenaline right before going on stage is what makes performing so thrilling."
The final section is Erika Overturff's The Bee's Knees, a tribute to the Roaring '20s in collaboration with the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. The Bee's Knees was Overturff's Going Solo film, and she used Momentum to expand the performance into a full ballet.
American Midwest Ballet will present Momentum at 7:30 pm Saturday, February 26, and 2 pm Sunday, February 27, at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center in Council Bluffs. Ticket prices range from $25 to $65. Ticket information is available at amballet.org/tickets.
More about the American Midwest Ballet:
American Midwest Ballet is the region's resident professional dance company, bringing work beyond words to audiences in Nebraska, Iowa, and beyond. Performing at home and on tour, its mission is to provide cultural enrichment through dance programs of the highest quality: breathtaking performances, inspiring education, and uplifting community engagement.
AMB's Season 12 is presented with the generous support of premier benefactors the Holland Foundation, the Fred and Eve Simon Charitable Foundation, and the Iowa West Foundation; season sponsors Omaha Steaks, Cindy and Scott Heider, the Peter Kiewit Foundation, and Douglas County; and major support from the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the Sherwood Foundation.
