Don’t Miss April’s Lively Arts Series Performances

by Whitney Etter & Diane VanDyke

Rudresh Mahanthappa

Winner of the 2012 Downbeat International Critics Poll Alto Saxophonists of the Year, Rudresh Mahanthappa will perform at Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, on Saturday April 6 at 8pm. Tickets cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Mahanthappa is world-renowned for his innovation in fusing musical textures from his Indian culture with contemporary jazz. His January-released album Gamek (meaning “melodic ornamentation”) is a quartet of Mahanthappa (saxophone), François Moutin (acoustic bass), Dan Weiss (drums) and David Fiuczynski (guitar). Gamek is blends jazz, progressive rock, heavy metal, country, American folk, go-go, and ambient sound with the rhythms and beats of Indian, Chinese, African, and Indonesian music. To learn more about Mahanthappa, visit rudreshm.com.

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Nrityagram

Nrityagram will present a show of traditional Indian dance at Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, on Saturday, April 13 at 8pm. Tickets cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Classic Indian dances such as odissi, are ritual ancient dances that Nrityagram bring to life through colorful costumes and precise movements. Nrityagram dancers focus on storytelling through ornamental patterns with body movement and stylized miming with hand gestures and facial expressions. The dance company, from the Nrityagram village in India, practice dance as a way of life. Gurus teach, train and lead performers in the ancient methods towards physical and spiritual enlightenment.

To learn more about the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, visit www.nrityagram.org.

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Delaware Valley Opera Company Performance and Master Class

The Delaware Valley Opera Company (DVOC), in collaboration with Montgomery County Community College’s Music Department and Office of Cultural Affairs, will present Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” on Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets cost $28. For more information and to order tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

A three-act opera, “Rigoletto” features the heart-rending story surrounding the Duke of Mantua, his court jester Rigoletto and Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda. DVOC members will sing the solo roles of this classic production, and members of the College Choir will sing the chorus parts.

Additionally, members of DVOC will hold a Singers’ Workshop and Master Class on Friday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m. in Science Center room 212 at the College’s Central Campus in Blue Bell. The workshop will cover audition techniques, the world of the professional singer and related career information. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Coordinator of Music Andrew Kosciesza at akoscies@mc3.edu.

The Delaware Valley Opera Company, originally incorporated as the Delaware Valley Lyric Opera Guild in 1979, provides a stepping stone for singers by offering training and education through exposure to all facets of operatic production and performance opportunities in a variety of operas. The primary focus of the company is its Summer Festival—three operatic productions in June, July, and August.

For information about MCCC’s upcoming performances and art exhibitions, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts.

Adjunct Instructor Duane Lee Holland Travels to Eastern Europe as ‘Diplomat of Dance’

by Rebecca Rhodin

Hip-hop music sprang from the city, but today it’s a citizen of the world, says Duane Lee Holland.

“Every place you go has been affected by hip hop,” comments the Montgomery County Community College adjunct instructor. “You can’t turn on a TV show or walk down the street without a reference to the culture.”

Soon that street may be far away, indeed, when Holland travels as a “diplomat of dance” to Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine for the U.S. State Department.

He will journey in March with Illstyle and Peace Productions to perform hip hop and teach in a cultural exchange called DanceMotionUSA. The program is produced by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

“They are using the performing arts as a tool for foreign policy,” explains Holland, 35, of Devon, who began his dance career 18 years ago with the first hip-hop theater dance company, Philadelphia’s Rennie Harris Puremovement.

“The arts allow people to talk about things in a way that isn’t aggressive or argumentative,” he says.

“Although not versed in Russian, you’re speaking the language of dance. Through dance, you’re a linguist.”

According to BAM, the DanceMotion program builds on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s vision of “smart power” diplomacy, which embraces the full use of diplomatic tools to create opportunities for greater understanding.

The “diplomats of dance” start conversations and build lasting personal and professional connections, says Assistant Secretary of State Ann Stock, on BAM’s website. She calls it “cultural diversity in motion.”

Holland agrees that a cultural exchange creates a softer environment in which to face contentious issues like race and sexuality and create social awareness.

“It helps the people to know that there’s a world outside of their own home or town. It broadens their minds,” he comments.

How appropriate, then, that the words “hip” and “hop” themselves, derived from the Senegalese Wolof language, Hip means “knowledgeable” and Hop “movement.” According to Holland, “I’m a knowledgeable mover of a knowledgeable movement is the definition of Hip Hop.”

Rooted deeply in Africa, the hip-hop genre is said to have developed in New York City in the 1970s, where deejays stretched out percussive breaks in popular music and inspired the birth of breaking (B-boying or B-girling). Subject of much debate, it also encompasses rap, DJing and graffiti in an evolving culture that reaches far beyond those elements.

Hip-hop dance such as Puremovement reflects the energy and dress of street culture: rhythmic and gymnastic with breaking woven in.

Puremovement attributes to hip hop “a unique ability to express universal themes that extend beyond racial, religious and economic boundaries.” Last year, that company performed with DanceMotionUSA in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories of the Middle East.

Though tensions aren’t as thick in Eastern Europe, Holland still confronts the possibility of issues as “a black man going to Russia,” where not everyone may be open to people of color.

“It’s very common that you’ll be stared at,” he says. “But then, it’s not like I’ve never had people stare at me and try to touch my hair. Even here in the United States. That’s how it is. Fear is an ugly thing, a stifling situation.”

On the other hand, Holland’s background uniquely prepares him for the challenge: First, there is the realism and encouragement of his mother, whom he describes as his hero. Then, there is the fact that he has already traveled to 10 countries, as a gymnast when he was a teen.

“How many people do you know who can hold themselves up with one hand?” Holland muses; gymnastics requires mental, as well as physical mental effort. Holland was the first 8yr. gymnast to score 58.6 out of 60.0, and was featured in “Faces in the Crowd” in Sports Illustrated. From 1990-1994, Holland, was a member of the United States Junior National Gymnastics Team. In 1996, Holland injured himself while training for the 1996 Olympics.

A broken wrist in high school opened several other doors — into a dance studio, a professional dance career, and then into education.

“I’ve been involved academia for the last five years. Professional experience is a huge aid to my teaching,” says Holland, whose resume lists scores of schools such as MIT, Duke University, Stanford University and UCLA where he has shared his knowledge. At MCCC, he has taught the fundamentals of hip hop and also modern fusion.

Feeling increasingly compelled to pass his knowledge on to a younger generation, Holland is working to solidify himself in academia. He is hoping to obtain a masters of fine arts at the University of Iowa.

“As a student of life, I’m always adding to my skill set,” says Holland. “I am extremely blessed to do what I do.”

Duane Lee Holland teaches a dance workshop at the College’s Central Campus. Photos by Sandi Yanisko

Students Partner with Community Theater to Present ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in Spanish

by Rebecca Rhodin

Spanish studies are taking a dramatic new turn for Souderton resident Rebecca Rivera, in a way that will boost her language skills and help her community.

Rivera is one of four Montgomery County Community College students who are translating the play “Sleeping Beauty (and Friends)” into Spanish to perform it on stage as a reading.

The event, part of the Montgomery Theater’s 20th anniversary celebration, is aimed at drawing in members of the area’s growing Spanish-speaking population. It takes place on April 22 at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

“I love the fact that I’m giving back to my community, since I grew up in Souderton and will be part of something exciting for them,” says Rivera, 28.

The performance will also help improve her language skills. Although Rivera is already fluent in Spanish, “as we say, I learned ‘street Spanish,’ ‘at-home Spanish.’ I want to speak the language formally and improve my spelling and grammar,” says the Liberal Arts major.

The other participants in the reading are Malcolm Scott, a retired chemist; Lydia Crush, who has spent time in Ecuador, and Heorhi Auseichyk, who comes from Belarus.

They are all students of Assistant Professor Georgina Elortegui, who says she is not making it mandatory for her Spanish 230 class to participate nor offering extra credit because she wants them to have the experience “purely for  their satisfaction.”

“I didn’t want them to see it as just one more project for school,” Elortegui says. “Anyway, this isn’t a theater class. It’s Spanish conversation.”

Each of the four is doing a translation of the 30-page script, an eight- to 10-hour task. Then they are discussing the differences “and will go with what captures the thought most clearly,” the professor says.

“When translating, sometimes you have to translate the idea. For instance, in English we say ‘kick the bucket’ but in Spanish it’s translated as ‘to stretch one’s leg,’” says Elortegui. “If something like this comes up, we’ll have to address it with a ready-made Spanish phrase.”

Rivera says that translating “Sleeping Beauty” has “had its moments.”

“Sometimes you have to play with words and tweak it here and there in order for it to sound right, or well put-together.” Once on stage, she expects to be excited and anxious, yet thrilled to be part of an awesome event.

The idea to perform “Sleeping Beauty” in Spanish originates at the theater, located in Souderton, where Associate Artistic Director Jessica Bedford often hears Spanish spoken outside but not in the audience.

“There was a big meeting towards the end of 2012 in which the theatre staff talked about what events we should hold to thank the community for our 2oth anniversary and to celebrate,” says Bedford.

“One of the things that came up was the growing population of Spanish-speaking people who don’t come to the theater because the plays are in English. We want to get them in our door. We have workshops that may appeal to them, such as Young Actors Workshops. This is a good way to make that introduction.”

Elortegui, too, is looking forward to seeing her students on stage, knowing that they are proficient enough to make themselves understood and won’t panic.

“I think a play such as this shows students why studying a language is important,” she says. “You want to reach out to the community. People in the area are speaking Spanish more than ever before. The language is alive in the U.S.”

Don’t Miss March Lively Arts Series Performances

by Whitney Etter

Tuck & Patti

Vocalist Patti Cathcart and guitarist Tuck Andress will perform a variety of songs from their 35 years of jazz and rock collaboration on Saturday, March 9 at 8pm. in Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

Tickets cost $28 for general admission and $12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Tuck and Patti, who met in 1978 in San Francisco, have been performing and teaching music for three decades. During the Lively Arts show, the husband-and-wife dup will perform a variety of music from their seven albums as well as new songs from their upcoming 2013 album release. Their album concepts range from jazz to The Beatles.

To learn more about Tuck and Patti, visit www.tuckandpatti.com.

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Brian Sanders’ JUNK

Choreographer and dance pioneer Brian Sanders will present his revolutionary show JUNK at Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

A Young Arts Explorers children’s show will be held in Friday, March 15 at 10:30am, with a main stage performance on Saturday March 16 at 8pm.

Tickets  for the children’s performance cost $5 general admission, and tickets on the main stage performance cost $28 general admission and 12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

The off-the-wall- choreography combines found objects and creative movements, giving the show its title JUNK. The company endeavors to show the artistic beauty in dance while exploring the world at large.

Sanders’ mission for dance is inspire creativity and JUNK helps make dance more accessible to a younger crowd, including performances at children’s theaters and targeting youth. Sanders’ company is based from Philadelphia and sells out crowds at the Lively Arts Festival each year.

To learn more about Brian Sanders’ JUNK, visit their website at www.briansandersjunk.com.

Theatre Arts Instructor Michael Whistler Prepares for Debut of Latest Play

by Rebecca Rhodin

Artwork for “The Prescott Method”

In a theater, the audience gets to watch “lives that aren’t the lives we lead,” observes playwright Michael Whistler.

Whistler himself delves into the lives of two ’60s homemakers in his upcoming production “The Prescott Method, Easy Steps to Perfect Bread Baking, Every Time.”

“The Prescott Method,” a comedy opening at the Walnut Street Theatre on March 28, is the story of chaotic Veronica, who goes to the more orderly Peg to learn how to bake bread. They open up about their lives and become friends. It is directed by Greg Wood, and features the actresses Susan Riley Steven, Madi Destefano and Jessica Bedford.

“Each of the two women in the play is trying to create something perfect,” says the Montgomery County Community College instructor and theater arts coordinator, “but in a not so perfect world.”

The idea for the play came when Whistler saw two women on the Today Show holding a sign that read “On vacation from our husbands.” “It made me think of the women who raised me, and who they might be when they were by themselves, and not busy being wives and mothers: I wrote the piece as a love letter to them—and the 60’s suburbia I grew up in.”

The two women of “The Prescott Method” – Veronica the mother of six scrambling to handle her brood, and Peg, the newly arrived wife of college professor who keeps an orderly house – handle tasks differently, from baking bread to managing their lives. This leads to conflict, and comedy.

Conflicts are the very basis of theater, according to the playwright, who got his MFA at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“One of the things I believe is that plays are not people who are coping. They are written about the days and decisions we make when we do dangerous things, ill-advised things, not the Oprah-sanctioned choice,” he says. “That’s what makes for good drama. As a playwright, that’s where I start. I try to understand where the characters are, the problem they are facing, and the actions they take to face it. Sometimes those may seem foolish to us, or pathetic, but it is that unique human response which makes for a funny and human character.”

At Montgomery County Community College, in his Introduction to Acting and Improvisation class, his students read Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The tempestuous play sparks discussions about why the characters take their non-coping actions and what the fallout is.

“There are parts of ourselves that scare us, like falling in love, being cowardly or being brave,” Whistler muses. “In the theater you can experience these emotions in a safe place.”

“The Prescott Method,” presented by the Walnut Street Theatre as a part of their Independence Studio on Three series begins previews March 26, and runs through April 14. Tickets are available through the Walnut Street Theatre’s website, www.walnutstreettheatre.org, or by phone at 215-574-3550

A lot of work goes on in preparing for the production: Whistler and director Greg Wood have been tinkering with the script for some time.  But Whistler notes that only after the curtain goes up does the art of theater become truly engaged.

“Before an audience, the story gets told,” he says.

Don’t Miss February Lively Arts Series Performances

by Alana J. Mauger

Theatre Works USA — Seussical

Theatreworks USA will present the musical “Seussical” as part of Montgomery County Community College’s Young Arts Explorers Series on Friday, Feb. 1, at 10:30 a.m. in the Science Center Theatre, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets are $5. For information and to order tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

In Susssical, Dr. Seuss’s most-beloved stories collide and cavort in an unforgettable musical caper. Adapted from the Broadway version, The Cat in the Hat serves as the host and emcee. Dr. Seuss’s classic characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure.

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Capitol Steps

The Capitol Steps return to the College on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theatre, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets cost $28 general admission. For information and to order tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Comprised of a troupe of former congressional staffers, the Capitol Steps travel the country satirizing the very people and places that once employed them.  The troupe has been featured on three national PBS specials, “Good Morning America,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Nightline,” “The Today Show,” “20/20” and CNN’s “Inside Politics,” to name a few.

The Capitol Steps were formed in 1981 when three staffers for Senator Charles Percy were asked to provide entertainment for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee holiday party.  They dug into the headlines and hot topics of the day to create new lyrics for familiar tunes.  What emerged was a special brand of satirical humor that is enthusiastically received by audiences nationwide.

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Lula Washington Dance Theatre

Montgomery County Community College will present the Lula Washington Dance Theatre for a Young Arts Explorers performance on Friday, Feb. 15 at 10:30 a.m. and for a mainstage performance on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets for the children’s show cost $5; tickets for the MainStage performance cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. Visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518 for tickets and info.

The Lula Washington Dance Theatre will bring its innovative choreography to Blue Bell as part of its nine city mid-Atlantic tour. Washington uses dance to explore social and humanitarian issues, including various aspects of African-American history and culture. She won an Academy Award for her choreography in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” for “Under the Sea.” She was also featured in a PBS special for her choreography for “Gospel Kwanzaa.” NASA selected her to choreograph its “Mars Millennium Project” educational video that depicts dance in the first human colony on Mars. Most recently, she was instrumental in developing some of the conceptual moves in the mega-hit movie “Avatar.”

This tour of Lula Washington Dance Theatre is made possible by a grant from Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment of the Arts.

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The Acting Company — As You Like It, Of Mice And Men

The College will host The Acting Company for a Young Arts Explorers performance of “As You Like It” on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 10:30 a.m. and for a mainstage performance of “Of Mice and Men” at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets for the children’s show cost $5; tickets for the MainStage performance cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. Visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518 for tickets and info.

Founded in 1972 by legendary producer, director and actor John Houseman, along with Margot Harley and members of the first graduating class of Juilliard’s Drama Division, The Acting Company has performed 136 productions for over three million people in 48 states and 10 countries. The Company has given a generation of actors the opportunity to master their craft. Alumni include Kevin Kline, Rainn Wilson, Patti LuPone, Jeffrey Wright and Keith David.

This tour of The Acting Company is made possible by a grant from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the  National Endowment for the Arts Regional Program.

Dual Exhibit Features the Work of Artists Fred & Heidi Kreitchet

by Diane VanDyke

Sculpture by Fred Kreitchet

Montgomery County Community College presents a special father and daughter exhibition featuring the artwork of sculptor Fred Kreitchet and ceramic artist Heidi Kreitchet from Tuesday, Jan. 22, through Friday, Feb. 15, at the College’s Fine Arts Center Gallery, Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

The public is invited to meet these talented artists during a special reception on Sunday, Feb. 3, from 1-3 p.m. with a gallery talk at 2 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free of charge.

Using an array of materials, including clay, fiberglass reinforced plastics, bronze, metal and wood, Fred Kreitchet designs and makes three-dimensional sculptures in his Blue Bell studio and bronze foundry known as the Sculpture Workshop. Beyond his commission work, Fred also teaches three-dimensional design, sculpture, mold-making, fabrication and drawing as an adjunct art lecturer at Montgomery County Community College for more than 20 years.

Fred’s most notable work is the Treehouse at the Philadelphia Zoo, a commission piece for architects Venturi, Rauch & Scott Brown that won the Gold Medal Award from the Architectural Institute of America. His sculptures may be seen at such prominent places as the London National Gallery, the White House, The Baltimore Zoo, Penn State, Independence National Historical Park and The Academy of Natural Sciences, to name a few.

In addition to three-dimensional sculptures, Fred also designs and sculpts fine, bas-relief ornaments and medallions for special commemorations. These medallions have been in traveling exhibits from Boston to Los Angeles, and are in more than 600 private collections, including Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan and dignitaries Madam Sadat, Menachem Begin, Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II.

Ceramic bowl by Heidi Kreitchet

Across the country in Pomona, Calif., Heidi Kreitchet is the studio director at The Ceramics Studio located at the American Museum of Ceramic Arts. She has exhibited her ceramics in numerous shows spanning the United States. In 2002, she won the Frederick Docstrader at an exhibit in Flagstaff, Ariz., and, in 2009, she won the Kiln God National award in San Angelo, Texas. Her work can also be found in permanent collections in the United States and Australia.

Heidi holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Utah State University. Following her undergraduate work, she assisted renowned ceramic artist Don Reitz for two years in Clarkdale, Ariz., as she developed her own distinctive style using a wood-fire finish.

For more information about the exhibition at MCCC, contact Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

For more information about Heidi Kreitchet’s work, visit www.hkwoodfre.com; for Fred Kreitchet’s work, visit www.sculptureworkshop.com.

You can help support the arts and art education programs at Montgomery County Community College by becoming a Friend of The Galleries. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact the College Foundation at 215-641-6535.

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed weekends.

Theatre Horizon to Present ‘Zora’ in Blue Bell & Pottstown

Barrymore Award winning actress Cathy Simpson

by Alana J. Mauger

Theatre Horizon returns to Montgomery County Community College with its production of  ”Zora,” a one-woman show starring Barrymore Award-winning actress Cathy Simpson.

The first performance will be held on Friday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. in the South Hall Community Room, West Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. The second performance will be held on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Blackbox Theatre, Science Center Lower Level, Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

Tickets are available online at www.mc3.edu/livelyarts. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children under 12 years.

Written by Laurence Holder, “Zora” is a dramatic biography of the life of Zora Neale Hurston, a prolific African-American writer of the 1930s and one of the most important and celebrated figures to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance. Incorporating music from the era and southern folklore, the story focuses on Hurston’s battle to preserve her people’s culture and to live an authentic life against all odds.

Celebrate the Holidays with December Lively Arts, Theatre Arts Performances

by Adam Crugnale

Philly Guitar Summit Concert Features Jazz-Rock Pioneer Larry Coryell

Larry Coryell

Montgomery County Community College’s Lively Arts Series will host Monnette Sudler’s 4th Annual Philadelphia Guitar Summit on Saturday, Dec. 15. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert, which features Jazz-Rock Pioneer Larry Coryell, cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. Visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518 for information and tickets.

The guitar summit draws from a diverse range of musical abilities and traditions found in Philadelphia and beyond. It is organized in a series of workshops that offer helpful instruction on purchasing a guitar and insightful advice on playing, tuning, proper maintenance and more; all from a variety of world-class guitar masters. This distinctive spread includes guitarists with sprightly jazz backgrounds, flamenco, blues, roots and “free” music.

This amazing opportunity for students, guitarists and music lovers in general culminates with the 8 p.m. concert put on by the Larry Coryell Trio. The group includes the well-seasoned jazz musician Coryell, from whom the trio derives its name, along with Indianapolis bassist Jonathon Wood and Chicago-based drummer Paul Wertico keeping the beat.

Coryell is considered a pioneer of rock-jazz for his role in redefining the 1960s jazz electric guitar genre. Headlining more than 60 albums over his 40 year career, Coryell is ranked among Musician magazine’s list of 100 greatest guitarists alive today.

To learn more about Larry Coryell, visit www.coryelljazz.com.

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Theatre Arts Program Presents ‘A Christmas Carol’ in Blue Bell & Pottstown

Montgomery County Community College Theatre Arts faculty member Jared Reed-Biehl will present Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, at the Central Campus and on Saturday, Dec. 15 at the West Campus.

The performance is a re-creation of the acting version of “A Christmas Carol” that Dickens, himself, created.

Tickets cost a suggested donation of $5, and all proceeds benefit the College’s Drama Club Merit Scholarship. Visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518 for information and tickets.

The Central Campus performance will be held in the Black Box Theater, Science Center lower level, 340 DeKalb Pike Blue Bell. The West Campus performance will be held in the South Hall Community Room, 101 College Drive, Pottstown.

Students to Present Fall Performing Arts Showcase & Dance Performance Ensemble Concert

by Diane VanDyke

Montgomery County Community College invites the community to its Dance Performance Ensemble Fall Concert on Nov. 30 and Fall Performing Arts Showcase performances on Dec. 3, 5 and 6 in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. All four performances are free of charge and open to the public.

The Dance Performance Ensemble Fall Concert will be held Friday evening, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. and features a variety of student-choreographed works that range in style from modern to hip hop.

On Monday, Dec. 3, at 12:30 p.m. students will present a one-hour matinee preview of the Fall Performing Arts Showcase featuring Dance, Music and Theater selections.

The evening performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, and Thursday, Dec. 6. Each evening performance will feature a different lineup of the best work by students in the music and dance departments, including the Dance Ensemble, College Choir, the Chamber Choir, the new Chamber Strings, the Guitar Ensemble, the new Jazz Lab Band and the Performance Jazz Ensemble.

The performances will highlight several works by the notorious avant-garde composer John Cage in celebration of his centennial birthday. Among other works, the Chamber Choir and Dance Ensemble are collaborating on a choreographed re-imagination of Cage’s “Litany for the Whale.” The result will be a piece that blends ancient Gregorian tradition with modern dance and aleatoric elements.

The Showcase is presented at the end of every semester. For the Spring Semester, the Dance Performance Ensemble concert will be held Friday, April 26, at 8 p.m. and the Spring Showcase performances will be held Monday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m.

For more information about the Dance Performance Ensemble, contact Coordinator of the Dance Program and Director of the Dance Ensemble Dr. Melinda Copel at mcopel@mc3.edu; for more information about the Fall Performing Arts Showcase, contact Associate Professor of Music Andrew Kosciesza at akoscies@mc3.edu or visit the College’s website at www.mc3.edu/campusLife/artsCulture/perform.aspx.

Check out photos from the Spring Performing Arts Showcase and Dance Performance Ensemble concert!

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Photos by Matt Carlin