If your cultural card is like most folks', you have been scratching off a "must-see" bucket list that probably includes samples of items including opera, symphony, art, and even dance.
But if your dance card is punched via holiday classic The Nutcracker, that sugary confectionary that people line up for, then you really have not experienced dance.
Okay, so my pronouncement there is probably borderline bully, but my gesture is meant to get you off the couch to see a series of modern dances including one that involves The Sofa.
You may have remembered The Sofa, choreographed by Olivier Wevers, when it premiered last season at the intimate (read: no bad seats in the house) Peter Wege Martin Theatre as a part of the Grand Rapids Ballet Company's (GRBC) ramped up season where new works were presented alongside traditional programming reworked to daring new proportions. The result was that our state's only professional ballet company took the risks and received applause to sold-out shows night after night for their creative offerings. Bravo, indeed.
As we enter their Spring season, it is a time of excitement for those who enjoy more contemporary works like the aforementioned The Sofa, but also Amazed in Burning Dreams, an action-packed abstract ballet choreographed by Kirk Peterson and set to the heart-pounding minimalist score from Philip Glass' "Mishima" (1985).
Also appearing on stage as a part of Program Three is a work from one of America's greatest choreographers of all time, George Balanchine's jazzy hit, Who Cares?, complete with a fabulous Gershwin score performed live on stage by the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra.
So why would you want to just settle for The Nutcracker as your dance culture fix when you can have something much more in a very intimate theater with a big, comfy couch to boot?
Admission: $40 ($35 seniors, $30 children)
More Info