Omaha audiences will see Matthew Carter in many roles this ballet season, but his latest role is that of choreographer. Carter, ballet master and company dancer at Ballet Nebraska, is presenting his newest original work, Bacchanale Variations, at the company’s spring 2012 production of Momentum March 30 and 31 at Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Hall We sat down with Carter recently to learn a little more about his life, his work and what drives his personal momentum. Tell us about your career path. What brought [...]

November 23, 2011 — Artistic director Erika Overturff and cast members of ‘The Nutcracker’ visited KMTV’s ‘Morning Blend’ show today to give the hosts and viewers a preview of Ballet Nebraska’s upcoming production of the classic holiday ballet. Erika talked about why there are so many versions of the ballet, and how this diversity gives each choreographer — including herself — a chance to apply a personal interpretation to the production. Ashley Brown and Hannah Liu, who share the role of Clara, joined Erika in [...]

What would you do if you were dancing in the Snow scene of ‘The Nutcracker,’ and it started snowing M&Ms instead of snowflakes?  Sooner or later, almost every dancer in America performs in The Nutcracker, and almost everyone has at least one Nutcracker story! We asked Ballet Nebraska’s dancers to reflect on their funny or memorable moments from Nutcrackers past, and what’s special about the roles they will be dancing this year… Erin Alarcón My first production of The Nutcracker was when I was twelve [...]

Ballet Nebraska Guild hosted its inaugural holiday Nutcracker Tea Party on Sunday, November 27 from 2-4 p.m. at Joslyn Castle with over 150 guests in attendance. The ballet guild’s sold-out fundraiser was a perfect prelude to upcoming performances of Erika Overturff’s The Nutcracker at the IWCC Arts Center on Dec. 2 at 7:30 pm and the Omaha Music Hall  on Dec. 4 at 2 pm.  Young guests in holiday finery, accompanied by friends, moms, aunts, grandmas  – and even a few dads – mingled with [...]

What key question did choreographer Winthrop Corey ask himself when he began planning ‘Dracula?’ How do dancers Sasha York and Natasha Grimm prepare themselves to portray the characters of Count Dracula and Mina? Is Dracula simply a monster, or does he have a vulnerable side? You can hear the answers to these and other questions in the performers’ own words, in this series of audio interview clips. Click the “Play” buttons below, and listen to discover: How did Winthrop Corey approach the task of turning Bram [...]