Auditions for the Norman Ballet Company’s production of “Images of Oklahoma Past” will be Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Marjorie Kovich School of Ballet, 1312 S. Berry Rd. in Norman.

Dancers 9 to 11 years old will audition from 1 to 2 p.m. Dancers 12 and older will audition from 2 to 3 p.m. Boys who are 14 and older will audition for cowboys’ roles from 3 to 4 p.m. For cowboys, stage experience is preferred but a ballet background is not necessary.

The audition fee is $10. Girls should wear black leotards, pink tights, pink ballet slippers and pointe shoes for those with pointe experience. Boys should wear white T-shirts, black shorts or tights and ballet slippers. Boys auditioning for cowboys’ roles may wear sweat pants and warm-up clothes. Dancers should arrive at least 20 minutes early to fill out audition forms, and parents must accompany children under 18.

The performance, an official Norman Centennial event, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 17. It marks the Norman Ballet Company’s debut at the Nancy O’Brian Center for the Performing Arts in Norman.

The show captures moments in Oklahoma history, including a vision of a traditional Kiowa story, a look at the settlers’ daily lives and community celebrations and a picture of the famous Miller Brothers’ 101 Wild West Show.

The nonprofit Norman Ballet Company is partly supported by the Norman Arts Council. It has served the community for 22 years.

For more information: Marjorie Kovich, Norman Ballet Company artistic director 364-1818

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The Norman Ballet Company’s fifth annual “Oklahoma Nutcracker” combines elements sure to entrance young children: the magic of the classic holiday ballet, the enchantment of familiar Oklahoma characters come to life and the delight of seeing other children onstage.

These elements will charm 700 local schoolchildren and teachers at special performances of the “Oklahoma Nutcracker” Friday, Dec. 15. Children from Norman, Moore, Little Axe and Noble fourth-grade classes and children from local home-school groups are invited to the shows, which are sold out with a long waiting list.

At the two morning shows, the groups of children will see a presentation by a storyteller that sums up the first act. In the Norman Ballet Company’s production, the familiar “Nutcracker” score and story are set in Oklahoma City’s Overholser Mansion in 1907, linking the ballet to this year’s state centennial.

The company will perform the second act live for the children. In this version, Henry Ione Overholser and the Nutcracker Prince tour the Sand Plum Fairy’s prairie kingdom, where scissortail flycatchers, Indian paintbrushes and king snakes dance for them.

Marjorie Kovich, the Norman Ballet Company’s artistic director, said the company has performed for more than 20,000 schoolchildren since its inception in 1984. She said the school shows are intended to introduce children to ballet and the many aspects of the theater.

“Hopefully it will bring something to their lives that they would not have been exposed to if we had not done school performances,” she said. “You never know in what wonderful, positive way it might influence their lives.”

Jackson Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Manda Conklin said her class will especially enjoy the “Oklahoma Nutcracker” because the students are working on their own play of the “Nutcracker” story.

"We just thought it would be fun for them to go to a live production,” Conklin said. She said her students are excited about seeing the show, and she’s looking forward to it, too.

Public performances of the “Oklahoma Nutcracker” are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 16 and 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Sooner Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children and may be purchased by calling the box office at 326-9147.

The nonprofit Norman Ballet Company is partly supported by the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, Wal-Mart and the Norman Arts Council. It has served the community for 22 years.

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The Norman Ballet Company would like to invite reporters and reviewers to its community outreach performance of The Oklahoma Nutcracker for children from Ronald McDonald House, Camp Cavett and The Children’s Center at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. The performance will be at the Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St. in Norman. Television cameras will be allowed, although flash photography is not permitted during the performance. Information about the show is included below. To RSVP, please e-mail Julie Strauss at strauushaus4@sbcglobal.net by Thursday, Dec. 14. Journalists can check in at the box office the night of the performance.

For more information, contact: Marjorie Kovich, Norman Ballet Company artistic director (405) 364-1818 Belinda Anderson, Camp Cavett coordinator (405) 271-2271 Rachel West, The Children’s Center music therapist (405) 789-3712

When the children of Camp Cavett, Ronald McDonald House and The Children’s Center come to the Norman Ballet Company’s special performance of The Oklahoma Nutcracker, for at least a few hours, they won’t be patients coping with severe medical problems. They will be just like all of the other children who marvel at the timeless beauty of this holiday classic each year.

Marjorie Kovich, Norman Ballet Company artistic director, said inviting these special guests and their families and caretakers allows the company to reach out to children who especially need a boost around the holidays.

“It will take their minds off the struggles they’re dealing with on a daily basis and give them a couple hours of respite, of joy and magic,” Kovich said.”

After the show, which precedes a weekend of public performances of The Oklahoma Nutcracker, the guests will meet and mingle with the dancers, many of whom are children themselves.

Rachel West, music therapist at The Children’s Center in Bethany, said outings like this help kids keep their spirits up during long and difficult treatments.

“Just getting away from the hospital setting can be really therapeutic for their morale,” she said.

The children’s family members will also benefit, said Belinda Anderson, Camp Cavett coordinator. An evening out gives parents and siblings a chance to have the kind of holiday experience that is often difficult to manage on their own.

“They’re affected in so many different ways, and it’s hard to get to do something likes this,” Anderson said. “Words can’t express how much this means to the children.”

West said a chance to see children smile after difficult times is priceless for both parents and caregivers. Employees of all three organizations are looking forward to spending the evening out in the community with their young patients.

Activities like an evening at The Oklahoma Nutcracker give children who have dealt with medical problems a way to continue their lives outside the hospital. Anderson and West expressed gratitude to the Norman Ballet Company and its community sponsors for providing this opportunity to the children.

“You never know what’s going to spark an interest or spark a response for a child,” West said. “Finding that one time you get a smile or a response, that’s just extremely rewarding.”