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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RADCO's "Tennis Shoes and Tutus"

Open Doors for Arts Walk at The Washington Center

by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS The Washington Center for the Performing Arts will throw its doors open during Fall Arts Walk. On Friday, see an hour-long performance by Random Acts of Dance Collective, led by Karen Kirsch. Or catch outdoor performances by Studio West Dance Academy students. They’ll treat the crowd to hip-hop and …

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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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The Multidimensional World of Travis Johnson

Travis Johnson is a multidisciplinary artist, a prolific painter, sculptor, ceramicist, knowledgeable curator, and he has a deeply moving voice which will touch your soul when you hear it. Johnson is a man with an easy smile and a friendly demeanor. Anything he sets his mind to, he follows through purposefully and unflinchingly; he is extremely serious about his art and art mentoring practices and if you spend time appreciating his many talents and disciplines, you’ll notice there is a strong common thread that runs through them.

Your Guide to Autumn & Fall Arts Walk 2023

Fall is a time for rebirth, for rejuvenation, especially
when coming in the wake of a scorching dry summer
and a pandemic that refuses to go away. And the biggest, most extravagant arts event of all, Olympia’s fall Arts Walk — October 6 and 7 — our semi-annual community event celebrating all of the arts, but with an emphasis on visual arts when a majority of downtown businesses turn parts of their stores into art galleries.

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