"Valley of Four Dolls Parts 43 A, B, & C," a feature-length ballet written and choreographed by Christie Zimmerman, Ball State assistant professor of dance, will premiere at Muncie Civic Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
"It feels wonderful to be the first feature-length dance piece to be performed at Muncie Civic," Zimmerman said. "Hopefully this will be a wonderful opportunity for the Muncie Civic Theatre goers to see a different mode of storytelling which will expand their ideas about how performers can communicate with the audience."
The contemporary dance piece will rely entirely on movement to tell the story of a girl and her family of dolls on a unique journey to a world where the lines of reality and imagination blur into something magical. As the piece progresses and the characters interact with their world, the audience will experience the transformations that occur.
"This show is full of unique moments that tell the story in a simple way so that any audience member can interpret the meaning," Jacob Wright, senior dance major and dancer, said. "I think that is what makes the show so easy to watch and entertaining at the same time."
Zimmerman said that this piece was created from her 2007 work at the University of Minnesota, which was titled "Valley of the Dolls, Part 43A." It had a similar plot, but lasted a mere five minutes.
Zimmerman worked with a group of dancers for four weeks during the summer to choreograph the piece. Some of the same dancers who were involved in the creation process will be in the performance, and new dancers were added based on their interest and availability. Since the beginning of the semester, she and the dancers have rehearsed about six hours per week in preparation for the premiere of the piece.
"It has definitely taken rehearsal and talks with [Zimmerman] and the other cast members to mold the characters we are portraying," Michael Herring, senior dance performance major, said. "However, as we have gotten more and more comfortable with the characters, we are really able to bring this story to life."
The plot is enhanced by British pop artist Mika's work. Zimmerman calls Mika's work passionate, quirky, moving and fun — which are ideals that audiences can expect to notice in the ballet.
"[When] his [Mika's] first album was released in the United States, I fell instantly and deeply in love with his music," Zimmerman said. "He brought the idea of a concept album filled with characters and a narrative to a completely new level — and this is where the story for this piece was born."
Herring said the music in the performance is "definitely electric," with much influence coming from Mika's "quirky and upbeat" style.
The piece has been invited to perform in New Orleans in February 2012 and in New York in May 2012.
"Being in this show has helped me in many ways," Carley Luster, junior dance and English literature double major, said. "I think the most influential aspect, [in terms of my career development], is being part of this project and being able to travel to perform with the piece."
Wright is also excited about the opportunity, knowing that this experience will help develop technique as well as allow for contacts to be made at festivals.
"I have learned a lot from my participation from how to work with new people to role development and how to judge storytelling choices," he said.
Zimmerman said she hopes for more to come out of this production in the long run.
"We are very excited that the initial performance is only the first chapter for us," Zimmerman said.
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