MUHLENBERG HOLIDAY BALLET TO BENEFIT LOCAL FOOD BANK
The Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre and Dance will present "The Little Match Girl" in the Baker Theatre on Sunday, December 16 at 4:30 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will benefit the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, Inc.Tuesday, December 4, 2001 01:30 PM
The Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre and Dance will present "The Little Match Girl" in the Baker Theatre on Sunday, December 16 at 4:30 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will benefit the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, Inc.
"The Little Match Girl" is a children's ballet based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, recounting a day in the life of an impoverished girl who sells matches to earn money for her family. Choreographed by Muhlenberg dance instructor Kim Maniscalco, the program supports the efforts of Muhlenberg's Center for Ethics and Leadership, which focuses on developing powers for ethical reflection, moral leadership and responsible action. This fall's programming raised concern about "Hunger in the Midst of Plenty."
Featured as the "Match Girl" is Kristen Goldrick '03, an English major and dance minor at Muhlenberg. She has performed in The Nutcracker, Paquita, and Swan Lake as well as with the Muhlenberg Dancers in Concert. Also involved in the production are Muhlenberg Dancers Alicia Malley, Tracie Konopinski, Christine Trzcinski, Christina Spring, Bree Troise, Adrienne Pugh, T.J. O'Connell, J.R. Lopatin, Nick Carriere, and David Torsiello. Muhlenberg Children's Dance Center participants are Brianna Buehler, Cassidy Legget, Erika Reinhard, Eric Williams and Christie Meredith.
Maniscalco co-directed the project with Karen Dearborn, director of the dance program at Muhlenberg. In organizing the production, Dearborn was able to draw upon the successful outreach programs of the department of theatre and dance as well as the growing number of advanced ballet students who major or minor in dance.
"The Little Match Girl" is also being performed on campus for area students at the Cetronia, Kratzer, Swain, and St. Francis schools as part of the outreach programs of the department of theatre & dance. Outreach events are scheduled through the community service office of the College, and include Muhlenberg students performing and teaching in area schools, students brought to campus for workshops and shows, visiting artists providing residency activities, and professional study and internship opportunities on campus during the summer.
