Christmas Recital Purveys Seasonal Cuteness and More

By Woodruff Laputka - University of Alaska Anchorage

Christmas recitals are a whimsical reminder of the infantile beauty of the holidays. They’re cute, simple and often riddled with dashed choreography for sake of having a good time. And, from the droves of youngsters dancing to the tune of past Christmas hits, to the masses of parents cheering on their little performers with near devilish hopes of a life-long career in entertainment, pageants spark different memories in every person’s childhood. “We were there, you know, up in the spotlight, tapping our way across Bing Crosbys, “White Christmas”, etched with smiles so rigid they could cut a diamond in half. Boy those were the days alright. Those were the days.”

The Anchorage Ballet Academy’s 2010 Christmas Recital presented all the best elements inherent to this ritualistic, age old experience for youngsters. Splashes of holiday color matched with catchy, loud music and the fine art of balancing both dancing talent and childish cuteness created a feeling of jaw-dropping, “oh my god!” adorability. With fourteen short pieces, ranging from various age groups of young ballet hopefuls and various styles both classic and contemporary, the above cuteness effect is easily achieved, leaving a feeling of youthful wonder and amusement after every performance, if not the persistent applause from the parents clapping loudly in the audience for their child’s most deserved recognition.

One of the more humorous, even cute elements, was the presence of the dance teachers themselves, conducting the younger dancers through a juxtaposition of ballet and, “look mom, here I am.” By the look on their faces you could tell that all the teachers present simply loved this aspect of their careers, performing the dance moves correctly and watching as the how-ever-many youngsters scrambled to do their best. Less like a performance, it was more like that scene from the Sound of Music, where the Von Trap children learn to sing for the first time. There is no frustration. Simply amused, glad-to-help mentorship that likely will genuinely inspire these children to more dancing, if not more practice.

As far as the production goes not much can really be said. Short and sweet on account of many a child in the audience. The simplistic stage setting matched well with the fun, amusing atmosphere of little kids jumping all over in unison. Colorful back lighting matched the white-lit Christmas tree to purvey a pleasing Christmas setting. It doesn’t really seem fitting to make any large scale comparison between this show and actual ballet, which, at the end of the second half, the academy showed quite well they are capable of.

A tease from the seasonal Nutcracker performance left an air of impressive professionalism that easily cleaned the pallet of holiday cuteness, leaving you in your seat wanting more of what the academy has to offer. And, assured by the Academy’s Principle, Farah Canale, there is a whole season of grade-A local ballet in store for the Alaska dance-going public.

Christmas 2010

Anchorage Classical Ballet

December 10, 2010 at 7pm

Discovery Theatre

Family Holiday Pops, A Family Favorite Once Again

by Emily Klopfer - Dimond High School

The crowd was thick outside the Atwood Concert Hall on Sunday, December 19^th. Anchorage’s Concert Chorus would soon be performing in front of a nearly sold-out audience, a size they had wished for, but never seen before.

As the time crept towards 4:00pm, the lights began to dim—and kept dimming. The Atwood Concert Hall was almost pitch black. Suddenly, a spotlight hit the stage, illuminating Grant Cochran, the conductor for the Anchorage Concert Chorus. As he raised his arms, the audience realized they were surrounded by members of the choir holding battery-powered candles. This incredible beginning with the ambience of candles and the enthusiasm of the audience set the stage for the ensuing performance.

Family Holiday Pops included a wide spectrum of Christmas music: family favorites, different interpretations of traditional songs, and those songs that have either never been heard before, or have not been heard for quite some time. These songs were sometimes sung solely by the Anchorage Concert Chorus, other times they were performed only by the Holiday Pops Orchestra, and sometimes both worked together to create that beloved holiday music.

The opening song, O Magnum Mysterium, was filled with mystery as members of the choir sang with candlelight. This song was followed by three others in which the chorus and the orchestra worked in tandem. The Sound of Christmas was solely a song for the orchestra, yet that quickly proved not to be a handicap. The orchestra was clear with both the string and band sections combining to create, well, the sound of Christmas. Throughout the performance, the string, horn, and percussion section shone.

Karl Hageman was the first vocal soloist on You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. This holiday favorite soon also became an audience favorite as the Atwood erupted in applause following the song’s end. Tim Huffman was the second vocal soloist in what Cochran called a “father to daughter song,” Scarlet Ribbons. Both Huffman and the violin solo brought the song to life. The chimes at the end brought the holiday spirit back into the concert hall as the audience chuckled, thinking of Santa Claus. The final song before Intermission was Bellsong Fantasy. Cochran described this song “as if Carol of the Bells meet Rocky.” John Wasson, who arranged the song, had apparently previously written “pump-up” songs for the Dallas Cowboys. This past was evident in Bellsong Fantasy as the traditional Carol of the Bells did indeed adopt a Rocky feel.

Following Intermission, the concert carried the same amount of talent as it had displayed before. This half of the performance featured many more holiday favorites, yet still managed to include some that have not been heard before. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, was sang and read, and songs such as Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!; Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Jingle-Bell Rock; Silver Bells; and Frosty the Snowman, filled the hall.

As the Family Holiday Pops came to its end with Joy to the World, the audience was filled with a renewed sense of Christmas spirit. The audience’s love for the chorus, the orchestra, and the music, shows that the Anchorage Concert Chorus will have more than an enthusiastic welcome for next year’s Family Holiday Pops. As Grant Cochran said, and then later demonstrated through his excellent conducting of the concert, “what makes Christmas, is its music.”

Family Holiday Pops

Anchorage Concert Chorus

Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 4pm

Atwood Concert Hall

A Jazzy, Rockin’ Christmas Review of The United States Air Force Band of the Pacific’s presentation of “Sounds of the Season
by Cazoshay Ward - University of Alaska Anchorage

The United States Air Force Band of the Pacific’s performance had a little something for everyone this holiday season. From jazz to rock to heavy metal to traditional Christmas carol renditions, the presentation of “Sounds of the Season” at the Atwood Concert Hall on the evening of December 7th had the audience engaged, active, and bouncing in their seats. The night’s performance began with a vocal quartet’s acapella rendition of “Good King Wenceslas,” followed by The Greatlanders jazzy interpretation of the classic. The USAF Band of the Pacific was comprised of The Greatlanders, Top Cover, the Arctic Saxophone Quartet, Northern Lights, and Dixie Express-all of the performers are members of the United States Air Force currently on active duty. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was KTUU’s own John Tracy, who got in on the action on the song, “Elf’s Lament,” singing along onstage with Top Cover. He also lead the audience sing-a-long portion of the show, inviting the children up on stage and having them share what they wanted for Christmas this year.

“Sounds of the Season” was a mixture of instrumentals as well as songs featuring vocal performances. The vocalists of the evening were MSgt John Teamer, SSgt Amber Grimes, SSgt Clint Whitney, and SSgt E. Justin Allen. Many of the classic holiday songs were given a little kick with the USAF Band of the Pacific’s presentation, such as the heavy metal instrumental version of, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” The show also featured a video presentation of some of Anchorage’s own deployed military personnel sending home greetings to their families and friends as SSgt Hall and SSgt Manzi played “Christmas Time Is Here” in the background. Audience members currently serving in the military, as well as veterans and the families of those serving were asked to stand during a portion of the show to have the rest of the audience clap to thank them for their service.

“Sounds of the Season” was a night celebrating the Christmas spirit and an opportunity for families and individuals to see a free show exposing them to many different styles of music presented by men and women currently serving our country in the military.

*The Air Force Band of the Pacific’s presentation of “Sound of the Seasons” will be broadcast on KTUU-Channel 2 on Saturday, December 25th at 6:00p.m.

Sounds of the Season

Air Force Band of the Pacific

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 @ 7pm

Atwood Concert Hall

A Night of Young Talent and Professionalism at the Discovery Theatre

by Kyla Cook - Chugiak High School

On December 7 at 7:00 PM. Patrons at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts waited excitedly to see some new talent on the Discovery stage. No, this was not some band or theatre troupe from out of town. These patrons were hoping to catch a glimpse of the local young people playing in the Anchorage Youth Symphony and Junior Youth Symphony.

The night started with the Junior Youth Symphony, the best of the best from local middle schools. They appeared on stage, many of them dwarfed by their basses or cellos, and sat silently. These performers were not messing around.

The professionalism continued throughout the night. Their repertoire included Glorioso by Robert W. Smith, Fantasy on “Sleepers, Wake” by Johann Sebastian Bach, and El Relicario by Jose Padilla. The Conductor, David Hagen, made sure to let the audience know if a piece was particularly difficult or if the violinists were using a newly learned bowing technique.

Over all the “tweens” of the Junior Youth Symphony were very professional, it will be exciting to watch as they mature in their playing and performing.

After the intermission came the Anchorage Youth symphony, a group of talented high school musicians from Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. They were led through surprisingly difficult pieces by a very charismatic conductor, Linn Weeda, who could be seen mopping his forehead from the perspiration collecting due to his energetic conducting style.

The musicians began with L’arlesienne: Suit No. 1. The audience was so enthusiastic, many members clapped between movements, a faux pas that seemed to amuse the conductor and giggling orchestra members alike.

Next on the program was Swedish Dances, Op 63, by Max Bruch, a surprisingly difficult piece. It was executed well, prompting uproarious applause from the audience.

Before their next piece, Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, by Aaron Copland, Conductor Lin Weeda, sought to educate the audience. To explain Copland’s “uniquely American style” and “Cowboy ballets” he asked different orchestra members to play different parts independently of the orchestra, so the audience could recognize the tunes once they were woven into the ballet.

Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo opened with a crash from a cymbal and continued energetically until the third movement Saturday Night Waltz, a slower piece meant to bring to mind a cowgirl dancing alone. The ballet ended with Rodeo, arguably Copland’s most famous piece, and a standing ovation from proud parents and impressed audience members alike.

The night was not without its flaws, but they were not memorable. What was remarkable was the effort and professionalism shown by young performers from the Anchorage Youth Symphony and Junior Youth Symphony.

Fall Concert

Anchorage Youth Symphony

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 @ 7:00pm

Discovery Theatre

Click Clack Moo: Incredible Fun for Children of All Ages

by Arielle Young - University of Alaska Anchorage

Click Clack Moo is a bizarre and hilarious musical blend of hip-hop, rock, and traditional musical numbers. It is “West Side Story” meets “Animal Farm,” where the animals just happen to sing and dance, the chickens and cows have a rivalry, and they are all fed up with poor treatment from Farmer Brown.

It was a cold blustery Saturday afternoon when I caught the show, but the Discovery Theatre was packed with people of all ages ready to be entertained. The actors did not disappoint. It was easy to see that this was a professional production, and despite being geared towards children, everyone on-stage brought their A-game. Not only were they amazing singers but they all had impeccable comic timing and a complete lack of inhibition that helped the crazy antics on-stage and musical members bring the audience to boisterous laughter and spontaneous applause.

The show was only about an hour long, but from Farmer Brown’s opening number to the end musical number with nearly the whole cast, the energy on-stage never once let up. Because of the energy of the cast, it is a great show for kids. Everything happens so fast; there was not a single dull moment in which a child watching could start to get bored. On top of that, the plot was very simple and would be easy to follow for any child around age five and older. Also, there was a musical number every couple of minutes which would help to invigorate and wake up any younger kids in the audience who’s attention may have wandered during dialogue scenes. I was watching with a child of age six who had also watched it two days prior and he was still just as enthralled with the action on stage.

The show would also be extremely enjoyable for any adult, especially one with a love of musical theatre or who is just a big kid at heart. I was laughing hysterically right along with the kids through most of the show, especially any scenes involving Duck and the Hip-Hop dancing chickens. I also loved the nods they made to “West Side Story” with the Cows and Chickens rivalry subplot.

Everyone in the theatre seemed to be enjoying the performances immensely, myself included. I was disappointed when it ended after only an hour, as I could have sat there enjoying it awhile longer, but it’s understandable in a show mostly intended for children viewers. All in all, it was a really great afternoon spent, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more great things out of many of these performers in the future.

Click Clack Moo

Alaska Junior Theater

Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 2pm

Discovery Theatre