OPA Celebrates 150: ‘Nebraska in Motion’
By Corbin Hirschhorn, KVNO News
September 22nd, 2017
Omaha, NE—To celebrate Nebraska 150, Omaha Performing Arts will present Nebraska in Motion a performance comprising 14 of the area’s prominent dance troupes. This is OPA’s first time putting this event together, and Taylor Wyatt, Community Engagement Assistant, explained that it’s fitting for the sesquicentennial.
“Omaha Performing Arts chose to celebrate Nebraska through dance because dance is such a visual and engaging way of celebrating the state,†Wyatt said. “The purpose of the performances showcasing the diversity and talent that is housed right here in Nebraska and to show how many different styles and types of dance can come together to create a unique and wonderful performance to celebrate something as important as our 150th anniversary as a state.â€
Each troupe will perform its own set, but they will come together for a group finale choreographed by Kat Fackler. It’s set to the piece, “Flyover Country,†written by UNL composer Tyler White and performed by the Omaha Area Youth Orchestra. According to Wyatt, there was no hesitance on the part of the dancers to participate in that piece.
“We reached out in the beginning to different companies that we had worked with before on different events but also some newer companies as well that are around Omaha, and people were really excited about participating in something they got to celebrate something as special as our state’s 150th anniversary. So from the very beginning, all the dance companies have been extremely excited and just kind of ready to jump in especially with the finale piece. When we told them that we were doing a group finale piece and they could send a representative from their dance studio, they were all about it—very excited—and that’s been really cool watching that come together because there are so many different styles and types and all these different dancers of different ages are coming together and  just a few weeks ago started rehearsing this piece, and that’s been really cool watching the collaboration between all the different styles and dances and watching it come together into something really special.â€
OPA has invited dance groups from all styles and backgrounds. Some of the performers include the Mexican Dance Academy, the Lotus Dancers, Tbd. Dance Collective and Adair Dance Academy.
In this project as a whole we really wanted to showcase the diversity in the cultures that come in the state of Nebraska especially when they celebrate through dance because the performance really showcases the different cultures found in the state of Nebraska and the importance and role that each one has in creating the state’s identity.
Nebraska in Motion, presented by Omaha Performing Arts, will show at the Orpheum Theater on September 23 at 7pm. For more information or tickets, visit OmahaPerformingArts.org
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