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Local Dancers Meet the ChallengeWhile visions of sugar plums danced in their heads… I never quite understood this phrase until seeing the production of The Nutcracker at the Tassel on Sunday, November 29th and Monday, November 30th. The production featured over 40 local dancers along with the Minnesota Ballet Company. The Dance Academy of Holdrege took on the challenge of teaching the local dancers and did a fantastic job. It was hard to tell where our local talent ended and the professional troupe began.
Complete with breathtaking backdrops, lavish costumes, and falling snow, the show was the crown jewel in the Tassel’s tenth anniversary celebration. It was amazing to watch as a facility that was just a dream a few years ago was suddenly transformed into a holiday celebration for families near and far.
There were giggles and smiles as Fritz tormented his sister and later, as Mother Ginger and her numerous children danced their way into our hearts. Little girls left dreaming of being a ballerina, just like the sugar plum fairy in her glittery pink costume with her tiara atop her head.
As the holiday season approaches, we want to thank everyone that was involved in The Nutcracker production, from the sponsors to the dancers to the ushers and stage crew. However, it’s also appropriate to thank those individuals that had the foresight and the commitment to build such a magnificent performing arts center ten years ago. Just as the story of the Nutcracker is about a young girl that has a dream, so was the Tassel. Thank you for making this a dream come true. HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN - Holdrege, NE (Thursday, December 10, 2009)
Group takes a cappella to the highest level
The Tassel Performing Arts Center begins their 2009-2010 season ticket with a group that appeals to all ages on Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 PM. This amazing Boston-based vocal group takes a cappella to the highest level. Soulful Pop/R&B meets contemporary stylings layered on a cappella harmonies, rhythmic vocal bass, and vocal percussion. It's hard to believe its just five guys, five voices. They've astounded audiences nationally with their exciting live show (averaging 250 dates a year) and original recordings. They can also be heard on national TV and radio as the voices behind the Cool Whip commercials. They’ve gained national recognition after appearing live on “The Today Show” and winning the golden ticket to “America’s Got Talent.” You will not want to miss this show. For more information about Ball in the House please visit www.ballinthehouse.com.
Joining this group on stage is local choir students from Arapahoe, under the direction of Senja Stephens. Arapahoe students will get to experience a special workshop with the quintet during the afternoon and prepare for the evening concert.
The next show in the 2009-2010 is Daniel Rodriguez, “The Singing Policeman” on Monday, September 21 at 7:30 PM.
Season sponsors for the 2009-2010 season include: Becton Dickinson, Durable Service, Dr. Stuart & Lynn Embury, Hendrickson Fund for Excellence, Holdrege Family Vision Clinic, First National Bank, First Tier Bank, Person Law Office, Phelps County Community Foundation, Phelps County Farm Bureau Financial Services, Roy & Mary Pearson, William Johnson & Family, 37 Cattle Company, Agri Coop, Ag Service Associates, AgWest, Bank of Bertrand, Black Motor Company, Cargill, Central Valley Irrigation, Fairbanks International, Hinze Dentistry, Holdrege Market Place, Law Offices of Anderson, Klein, Swan & Brewster, NAPA Auto Parts, Principal Financial, SourceGas, TierOne Bank Tickets are available at the Holdrege banks, the Tassel at 308-995-2717, or online at www.thetassel.org. For more information on any of our season shows, contact the Tassel.
HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN - Holdrege, NE (Friday, September 4, 2009)
Young Holdrege-area dancers get their time on stage with the pros in upcoming ‘Nutcracker’ production
HOLDREGE — The stage is a place for dreams to spring to life, and more than 40 young dancers may soon see their own stage dreams fulfilled.
They will help the Minnesota Ballet company breathe life into “The Nutcracker” Sunday and Monday. At auditions in September, Robert Gardner, artistic director for the professional company, chose 41 Holdrege-area dancers ages 8 to 17 to help present “The Nutcracker” ballet for the performances at The Tassel in Holdrege. “I just think it’s really neat to be in it,” said Emma Dannehl, 14, of Bertrand. “Nothing like this has ever been here before,” said Jenae Sandell, 17, of Holdrege. “Getting to dance with the professional dancers is going to be a neat experience.”
Sandell is one of two area dancers who will have lead parts in the production. She will play Diana and also will play a Spanish maiden. Merrilee Prill, 11, of Holdrege will play Marie. Both girls have been dancing since they were 3 years old and are thrilled, and admittedly nervous, to have large parts in the professional production. “You have to live up to what they want because all these people are coming,” Prill said.
Shari Schrock, owner and director of The Dance Academy of Holdrege, and Jocelyn Blythe, an instructor with The Dance Academy, had the task of coordinating and blocking the scenes for the Holdrege dancers. Most of the area dancers are from The Dance Academy, and the majority of the dancers are in junior high.
Using an 80-page journal full of notes from auditions, the women have been practicing with the dancers for the last two months. “I’m a little nervous, but the kids are all very smart children, so if they (the professional dancers) are patient with us, it should all come together,” Schrock said.
Saturday’s dress rehearsal will be the first chance for the Holdrege dancers to try on their costumes and practice scenes with the professional dancers. In practice, they have used imaginary partners and props from home to set the scenes close to those in a video sent by Minnesota Ballet.
“We’ve had to be very creative with the props that we are using,” Schrock said. “The kids had to use their imaginations. Without the principal dancers, it’s been very difficult to gauge where they should be.” One of the most challenging scenes to stage was a 30-minute party scene involving most of the dancers, said 12-year-old Gabrielle Schrock.
“I really hope we’re not in their way, standing around in the middle,” said Emily Cox, 17, who plays a Spanish maiden. A few of the dancers have seen “The Nutcracker” live. One is Gabrielle, whose mom, Shari, is The Dance Academy director. Gabrielle said her mom takes her to Lincoln or Denver every year to see a professional production. Others, such as Prill, have watched it only on video. Prill admits she’s most familiar with the Barbie version. When Prill auditioned for Gardner, he was confused about how she could so quickly change places during the first half of the audition. That was because her twin sister, Mariclaire, also was auditioning. The sisters perform dance routines together year-round, so Merrilee said it’s exciting to be doing something as a solo performer.
“It’s a lot of work now, but it’s going to be a lot of fun to dance with the professional dancers,” Cox said. “It’s going to be quite a production.”
e-mail to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it “The Nutcracker” Performances are at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The performance at 10 a.m. Monday is a shorter version, mainly for area schoolchildren. For ticket information, contact The Tassel at 308-995-2717, or at thetassel.org.
The Kearney Hub - Kearney, NE (Saturday, November 28, 2009) Don't try to figure him out, Just Laugh!
As executive director of The Tassel Center for the Performing Arts, Rachel Morgan knows unusual talent when she sees it. Canadian Michel Lauziere fits the bill.
Four guys with mics prove to be lots of funby Jack Donoghue Carlson, Garrison slate Oct. 30 debate at Tassel
The Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring a debate between District 38 legislative candidates Tom Carlson of Holdrege and Wayne Garrison of Nelson.
Tassel Council awarded grant for Arts Series
The Tassel Coordination Council announced today that it has been awarded a grant of $2500 by the Nebraska Arts Council. This grant will support the 2006-2007 Tassel Performing Arts Series.
Kids put on musical at TasselThe Tassel Coordination Council, Inc., (TCC) in Holdrege presented "Feelin' Good" a children's musical about staying healthy and fit on Friday, July 21. This performance was a culmination of a week long camp, held July 14-21 at the Tassel Performing Arts Center called "Music in Motion." The camp was a cooperation of the Tassel Performing Arts Center and the YMCA of the Prairie. Chelsea Anderson-Fuesner taught the week long camp and worked with 26 students in grades kindergarten through fifth. Songs in this musical included the "Exercise Tango," "The Food Pyramid," and "Couch Potato." Many songs featured soloists. Feusner remarked, "It was incredible what these students accomplished in one week of rehearsals. I'm proud of each and every one of them." One of the highlights at the end of the performance was the opportunity for the audience to participate in some of the activities the students enjoyed throughout the week. The performance ended with a rendition of "The Electric Slide" and "The YMCA" which students had used during the week to get their bodies and voices energized. "Music in Motion" was sponsored by a Kinder Morgan KM for Kids grant. Executive Director for the Tassel, Rachel Morgan commented, "It was a great way for both the Tassel and the YMCA to work together." The next show at the Tassel is "Annie Get Your Gun" presented by Theatre of the American West and will run Thursday, July 27 and Friday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for students under 12. Tickets are available at the Holdrege area banks and at the Tassel. HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN - Holdrege, NE (Tuesday, July 25, 2006) Tassel is the host for two enchanted evenings of musicThursday and Friday, June 28 & 29 was an enchanting evening at the Tassel Performing Arts Center.The Tassel presented Theatre of the American West's production of "Some Enchanted Evening", a musical review of famous Rogers and Hammerstein music. Audiences were treated to a refreshing evening of songs such as "It's a Grand Night for Singing" from State Fair, "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma!, and "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel. This special production featured six musicians; Chelsea Richards, Samantha and Kassandra Wendell, Dustin Witte, Charles Davies, and Holdrege's own Chelsea Fuesner. Fuesner remarked, "We worked hard on this production, and being able to bring it to the Tassel stage is a special treat for us." This two night showing marked the end of the run for this show. The next show at the Tassel Performing Arts Center is "Annie Get Your Gun", also presented by the Theatre of the American West on Thursday and Friday, July 27 & 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Tassel and Holdrege banks. The Tassel is holding it's second annual "Steak and Theatre" event on Thursday, July 27 with a steak dinner before the show. For more information, contact the Tassel at 995-2717 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN - Holdrege, NE (Thursday, July 6, 2006) Museum, Tassel open funds with PCCFThe Nebraska Prairie Museum and the Tassel Coordination Council have both recently opened new funds with the Phelps County Community Foundation.These funds will allow the public to support The Tassel and the museum by making contributions through the Foundation. Donors who wish to contribute to these organizations can make gifts and memorials to benefit the museum or The Tassel in a variety of ways: · Stop in the Foundation office at 701 4th Ave (Johnson Center) in Holdrege · Mail a check to the above address · Call in with a credit card payment (308) 995-6847 · Visit the website at www.phelpsfoundation.org and click on "ways to give" under the donor tab. Donors giving gifts and memorials to The Tassel, museum, or any fund held at the Phelps County Community Foundation will receive a charitable tax receipt. The Foundation will notify charitable organizations of gifts made to their funds. Others interested in promoting organizations through the Phelps County Community Foundation may call or stop by the Foundation office for more information. HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN -- Holdrege, NE (Thursday, May 26, 2005) Jensen drums up interest in big band benefit concertHe knows a lot more about Glenn Miller than he did when he and his family happily huddled around the old Zenith radio.And Dick Jensen of Holdrege knows that he'll never know enough. It's like being a breeder reactor, he said. "The more I learn, the more I want to find out." In a perpetual pursuit to bring back those good old days, he's helping engineer a big band benefit conert for The Tassel Performance Center Sunday, October 10 at 3 p.m. at The Tassel that'll include a tribute to Glenn Miller commemorating the centennial celebration of his brith. And Dick has been enjoying an annual five-hour pilgrimage to Clarinda, Iowa, for the Glenn Miller Festival. That's where he met Irwin "Whitey" Thomas, a first-chair trumpet in the Glenn Miller Band. "He knows so much about Miller, jazz, the bands, the singers, so many details that most people would never know," he said. He said Mr. Thomas regretfully declined an invitation to make a guest appearance at the Big Band Reprise benefit at The Tassel. Big Band Reprise will recreate elements of the Chesterfield radio show in a tribute marking the 100th anniversary of Glenn Miller's birth. "The curtain opens with the band playing 'Moonlight Serenade,'" said Dick, replaying the emotional Clarinda Chesterfield recreation. "The audience is mostly no-hair, gray hair, and there's not a dry eye in the place." The Tassel event will include pieces by many other big bands of the era, and it'll all be music to the ears of the long-time drummer. "My father loved jazz and big bands," said Dick. "That's what I grew up with and it's something I really enjoy." Dick started playing drums while he was in high school. In 1961, he signed up with Lavala Freeburg's Starlight Serenaders. "I played for Lloyd Porter for years, and I'd get calls from bands coming through the area looking for a drummer," he said. He's got a drum set in the basement and often picks up the sticks and returns to yesteryear's bandstands. "I'll come down here, crank the stereo up and play right along," he said, with a broad smile. And it's all more personal now -- especially with it's Glenn Miller. HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN -- Holdrege, NE (Wednesday, September 22, 2004) Concert to celebrate band leader's birthA benefit concert at The Tassel Performance Center in Holdrege in October will be part of a musical celebration of the 100th anniversary of Glenn Miller's birth.The "Big Band Reprise" will be on the stage at The Tassel Sunday, October 10 at 3 p.m., sharing the music of Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Duke Ellington and Peggy Lee. The 16-piece band includes Holdrege High School Band Director Bryan Bohn and Minden High School student Andrew Meyers. The benefit concert for The Tassel will be the first event utilizing the new reserve seat ticketing system, with all tickets for reserved seating. Tickets are available by calling The Tassel at 308-995-2717 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . To order tickets by mail, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Tickets/Big Band Benefit, PO Box 526, Holdrege, NE, 68949. Anyone wanting more information can call Janet Bailey at 995-5399 or Sylvia Person at 995-6488. HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN--Holdrege, NE (Thursday, September 16, 2004) Tassel director: Growth is goalHOLDREGE--Ranae Krajewski wants to use her experience as a manager and her love of theater to help The Tassel Performing Arts Center grow.Krajewski was recently named executive director of The Tassel, an 800-seat Holdrege facility for the performing arts. The Tassel hosts local events, such as high school band concerts and theater performances, as well as bringing in outside acts and being available for rental. On the job since June 1, Krajewski said she was planning to improve The Tassel by listening to the community in order to get acts they will enjoy. She also said she would not only like to appeal to the people of Holdrege, but also the people around the area, "especially people who haven't been able to experience the theater or some of the acts that we're bringing in." After serving as the office manager of Good Samaritan Health Systems' Wellness/Fitness Center for 3 1/2 years, Krajewski had to return to her hometown Grant in October 2003 to take care of her mother after a liver transplant, she said. During that time, her brother-in-law found an ad for The Tassel position and thought the job would be a great fit for her. While Krajewski's job at Good Samaritan was outside her field, the learning experience prepared her for her work at The Tassel. "I could bring my love for the theater and the performing arts in with my experience for office management. They're a great mixture for this job, and it's been a nice transition." In her life and her education, the performing arts, especially theater, have been important to Krajewski. "It's been a big part of my life, and I just think it's important everyone be able to have the opportunity to experience it, and that's what The Tassel's all about," she said. While doing a lot of work with the theater, Krajewski said she really found her love in acting since she played Juliet in fifth grade. "It's so much fun to see people relate to the characters on stage and see people get lost in a couple hours' worth of performance." Krajewski attended Chadron State College for two years, majoring in secondary education with endorsements in English, speech and theater, and graduated with a fine arts degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in December 1999. Whether Krajewski will be acting in any shows at The Tassel is "to be negotiated," she said. Krajewski said she is excited with being involved with such a modern facility, which was opened in 1999. "The community is so lucky to have this because there's so much that can be done here," she said. "I really want to be a part of seeing this grow." Upcoming events include a performance of the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" by The Theatre of the American West Aug. 9 and a big band concert Oct. 10 benefiting the Tassel Coordination Council and celebrating Glenn Miller's 100th birthday. Tickets are available by calling 308-995-2717. KEARNEY HUB--Kearney, NE (Wednesday, July 21, 2004) Six puppeteers to offer unique message Aug. 4Six puppeteers will blend black-light, shadows, humor and songs into a unique spiritual message on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. at The Tassel Peroformance Center in Holdrege.There is no admission charge. The One Way Street Ministry Team will present "Join the Hall of Faith," a lively musical about heroes of the Bible and a perspective on testimonies of faith in today's world. The show will include a large costume puppet, blacklight effects, shadow puppetry, and songs and dialogue that combine humor within a spiritual message. Sponsors for the performance are North Park Assembly of God Church, Trinity Evengelical Free Church, First Baptist Church and Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church. HOLDREGE DAILY CITIZEN--Holdrege, NE (Friday, July 2, 2004) |