Ballet’s Romantic Comedy: Coppélia

By KAREN LUNDE Coppelia arrives at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts April 18 through 20, bringing a tale of mayhem, mischief and mistaken identities. Studio West Dance Theatre’s production follows the antics of Swanhilda and her friends as they try to discover the identity of Coppélia, a mysterious woman who’s enthralled Swanhilda’s fiancé, Franz. “Coppélia is the …

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A Nuttier Nutcracker

By Molly Gilmore For the 10th anniversary of its The Nutcracker, Studio West Dance Theatre has added new treats and trimmings to its production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet about a young girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas and dreams herself into a magical world of fairies and sweets. The production, opening Dec. 9, aims to …

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Embellishing Ballet: The Nutcracker’s Dazzling Costumes

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS The ways in which The Nutcracker delivers beauty, grace and whimsy to audiences isn’t limited to just dancing (as mesmerizing as every pirouette and twirling leg can be). The intricate sets, sweeping music and, of course, jaw-dropping costumes all add to our ballet experience. Studio West Dance Academy’s The …

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Kenny G Headlines the Washington Center

(Update: Kenny G show is now sold out) by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Kenny G will ring in a joyful holiday season at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on November 29. The jazz saxophonist, a Washington native, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in Seattle. His 1994 Miracles: The …

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Giselle at Studio West Dance Theatre

Weekend Preview: April 28, 2017

WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, we’re bringing you everything you need to know about amazing events you can only find in Olympia, including the Spring Arts Walk, Luminary Procession and Procession of the Species. We hope you’re ready for a weekend full of jaw-dropping visual arts, theater …

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Lacey Ethnic Festival

Weekend Preview: March 10, 2017

WEEKEND PREVIEW is your weekly guide to events in Thurston County. This week, the Lacey Ethnic Celebration brings more stunning music, dance, and cultural performances to the stage than you can count. Don’t forget all the other amazing theater and dance around town, either. Just grab your tickets and find a seat to relax in, …

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Monica Russell in The Nutcracker

Nutcracker, Nutcracker

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS As the 124th anniversary of its first production approaches, The Nutcracker might be more popular than ever. There’s an entire website (NutcrackerBallet.com), in fact, devoted to listing productions of the holiday ballet about a little girl who gets a nutcracker for Christmas and finds herself transported to magical lands …

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The Nutcracker by Ballet Northwest

The Nutcracker Guide

OLY ARTS provides a complete guide to Balanchine’s classic ballet The Nutcracker, as performed on two stages in the South Sound in December 2017. The Nutcracker – Ballet Northwest: on stage at Washington Center for the Performing Arts (Downtown Olympia) Tickets and Information The Nutcracker – Studio West Dance Theatre: on stage at the Minneart Center (South Puget …

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Sky Bear Media: Olympia’s Indigenous Film Company

By Alec Clayton Olympia, the city of natural abundance, award-winning culture and celebrated diversity, is home to a video production that was founded by and is run by an indigenous filmmaker — Sky Bear Media. The company is housed in the Steamplant Building in the heart of downtown, described by company founder Jeff Barehand as …

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