129 East 7th    Ames, Iowa 50010    515 232-7374  fax 515 233-9290
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SPIKED! AGAIN!     Preview

When Thursday, November 13, 1997    8:00 pm Friday, November 14, 1997    8:00 pm Saturday, November 15, 1997    8:00 pm Sunday, November 16, 1997    3:00 pm

Where Ames City Auditorium 6th and Clark Streets, Ames, Iowa Free Parking! Parking lots West and East of the building

Spike up your holidays this year with a side-splitting version of the Nutcracker. This is the Nutcracker like you’ve never seen it before. SPIKED! AGAIN!, based on the original story, The Nutcracker written by E.T.A. Hoffman, will be Valerie Williams Co’Motion Dance Theater’s first concert appearance of this season. VWCo’MDT’s production is a very funny alternative to the traditional ballet, The Nutcracker. But with music by Spike Jones, you know you’ll be cracking the Nut from the other side. Jones didn’t just make arrangements of other people’s music, he made visual productions accompanied by a myriad of instruments played in a manic fashion.

From the Ninja Mice to a tapped version of the Cygnettes ballet, the 2nd act divertissements will keep you very busy trying to catch all the jokes. Now include parkas for the snow scene, a multi-talented Sugar Plum Fairy, a Sandwich instead of Chinese and you have entertainment for the entire family. Williams commented that "of course knowing the traditional ballet will allow for a few more chuckles, but each of the sections of this dance can easily stand alone. The dances are very funny. Some of them are quite slapstick and some have more subtle jokes."

The traditional music written by Tchaikovsky was reworked by Spike Jones for a children’s album and is described as "the Nutcracker with a twist!" The Tchaikovsky music is a very small part of the aural experience, many other Spike Jones arrangements are included in the production such as "Cocktails for Two", "Rhapsody From Hunger", "Holiday for Strings", and "Hotcha Cornia!". SPIKED! AGAIN! is loaded with wit and more than just a little sarcasm.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at
     Big Table Books   330 Main St
     Stomping Grounds   Welch Ave

Prices are $10 for General Admission and $7 for students and Senior Citizens.

SPIKED! AGAIN! is sponsored, in part, by grants from the Ames Commission On The Arts and the Iowa Arts Council.



Valerie Williams Co'Motion Dance Theater is in residence at Iowa State University Department of Health and Human Performance