Witness the billowing, swaying and whirling of endless folds of vibrant fabric, set in motion with calculated steps of a dance rich in multi-cultural history. Every flourish of perfectly arching limbs and bounding bodies draws from a deep wellspring of artful, indigenous movement, passed along for generations and reinvented for a theatrical dance production unlike any other. Parisian ballet meets Mexican folklore, in a specialized production that has grown from one woman's passion into a high demand show.

The current incarnation of Ballet Folklórico de México, founded by Amalia Hernández in 1952, has been travelling and performing together for the past decade. The dance company has presented resplendent shows worldwide, promoting the rich culture of Mexico, while maintaining a professional dance academy, the School of the Ballet Folklórico, in Mexico City. Although the once modest-sized company was initially controversial for flouting conventional dance norms, Hernández persevered, eventually achieving cross-cultural renown.

The impactful and dynamic dances performed for audiences around the globe are "very strong and versatile [with] contrast among different dances," which provides a striking texture of movement, describes Salvador Lopez, executive director of Ballet Folklórico de México and grandson of Amalia Hernández.

"[Hernández] was able to introduce what happens in our culture and put it on stage, [making] it stylish and elegant," Lopez said. "When you take the dance from the place where it happens and you put it on stage, you have to change [it] in terms of time and space. The challenge is to introduce the essence of a dance that lasts a very long time and make it into three minutes of dance."

The creation of the company began when the highly trained Hernández traveled throughout Mexico and "brought people from [different places] to take what they do and subtract the essence of that dance or ceremony into short song and dynamic dance essence," said Lopez.

Fusing indigenous dance with modern ballet conventions, Hernández shaped an impressive dance sensation, with the troupe garnering more than 200 awards and recognition from cultural figures, including a weekly television spot and visits with presidents, like John F. Kennedy.

The 2010 tour of Ballet Folklórico de México holds special emphasis as it coincides with the bicentennial celebration of Mexico's revolution and independence. Experience firsthand the unique meld of dance that crosses cultures and disciplines, not only pairing historic, indigenous dance styles with ballet, but also blending a wide range of local dance forms together to create a colorful showcase of skilled movement.

Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival
Wellspring Theater in the Epic Center
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
Feb. 26 & 27 at 7:30 and 9 p.m.
$10 performance, $18 day pass, $35 Festival pass
midwestradfest.org, (269) 342-4354

Kalamazoo is known for a few things, including having an outdoor pedestrian mall and being home to a bevy of pharmaceutical and research companies.
A new item might soon be added to that list: a strong community of modern dance.
Wellspring, a dance company founded by dancer and choreographer Cori Terry in 1981, is hosting the first annual Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival and is optimistic about its reception.
"This festival is really going to put Kalamazoo on the map as a hot spot for modern dance," says Artistic Associate Michael Miller.
For the past 25 years, Wellspring has offered a Dance Forum every February to "open up space for younger budding choreographers to show their work," Miller explains. "It slowly grew into a full-fledged concert, and then for the last seven years we've been bringing in one guest choreographer...we just got so big, we decided to change it."
And changed it certainly has. The Midwest RAD Festival will include the work of 19 choreographers. Nine are from Michigan, including Shawn T. Bible from Grand Rapids, Corinne Imberski from Ann Arbor, Erin Mitchelll from Kalamazoo, and the Rustic Grove Dance Company from Jackson. The other 10 participants come from everywhere in between, from San Francisco to Minneapolis to New York City.
"We were looking for two things; one, smart, clever, mature choreography [that was] aesthetically pleasing and well-rounded. Also, [we were] looking for pieces that would make a good Festival," said the official RAD Fest coordinator. "We had to look for a diverse group of pieces: solos, duets, trios, larger group pieces and maybe overall what is a good representation of what is going on in modern dance in 2010."
The two-day Festival will have two concerts per night; each of the four performances is by a different set of choreographers. To find interested choreographers, Wellspring put the word out and began to accept entries.
"We had a really great response," Mitchell said. "I'm a really kinetic person and I looked for smart dancing first then the choreography. You can tell a more mature dancer. At Wellspring we strive for smart movers."

Modern dance is "eclectic; it pulls from ballet, pulls from jazz, from pedestrian movements, from hip hop, from theater," says Mitchell. As such, this dance form has wide appeal. "We've had a huge response from the artistic community in Kalamazoo...I think the community is ready for it, and I know that Wellspring is ready for it."

If you've followed dance in West Michigan for any period of time, you know better than to assume that ballet is a boring exhibition of dancers in tutus and leotards.

You can thank Grand Rapids artistic director Gordon Peirce Schmidt for that.

Flickers is another Schmidt original ballet, one that challenges conceptions of ballet and, in keeping with the mission of the Grand Rapids Ballet, it "goes beyond." As Jack the Ripper recently demonstrated, ballet is not dull or pretentious; in fact, it can be laugh-out-loud funny.

"It's fun to go to the ballet and laugh," says Associate Artistic Director Laura Berman.

What makes this production different is that it is centered on Charlie Chaplin, the beloved star of dozens of films in the early to mid 1900s. Grand Rapids Ballet veteran Attila Mosolygo was chosen to recreate Chaplin on stage, as he is known to be "a master of movement," much like Chaplin, Berman said.

The reproduction of the slapstick and pathos-infused humor as a ballet remains every bit a disciplined art.

"[The company] is so well trained, and the theatrical and comic timing is just dead on," said Berman.

Though the pantomimes are meant to appear accidental as Charlie wanders into the sets of backstage Hollywood, every movement is planned and carefully practiced, even the scene on roller skates. The dancers, for example, were coached on how to fall properly.

"Their intent in their movement and style of how they execute a step...[is] part of who they are as professional dancers," Berman says. "It's a challenge that they love."

Flickers is a composite of various vignettes starring Chaplin from his many silent films. The soundtrack is in the style of early Duke Ellington and is not live.

"It is recorded with the intention to give it that sense of that era; some of the recordings have to have a scratchy feeling to invoke a particular sense of a movie set," said Berman.

The sound effects, though, are live with percussionists onstage providing classic reactions, such as the sliding whistle.

Performance goers "are going to get a lot for their ticket price," Berman assures.

Audience interaction will also add to the fun.

"There is so much depth and meat; it really shows you what the art form of dance can do when executed well."

Flickers
Peter Martin Wege Theatre, Grand Rapids
Jan. 29-30, Feb. 5-6 at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.
$20-$30
grballet.com, (616) 454-4771

Photo: Wende Alexander Clark

Grand Rapids Ballet Company with the Grand Rapids Symphony
DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids
Dec. 11-13, 17-20, shows at 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 2 p.m.
$20-53
grballet.com

Moscow Ballet
Frauenthal Theater, Muskegon
Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.
$27.50-99
frauenthal.org

Ballet Arts Ensemble with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
Dec. 12, 2 p.m., 7 p.m.; Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
$10-$18
kalamazoosymphony.com

Ballet Arts Ensemble with the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra
W.K. Kellogg Auditorium, Battle Creek
Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.
$10-18
balletartsensemble.org

Aside from my family's Christmas polka, which doesn't need to be seen, there is only one classic Christmas dance performance: The Nutcracker. This holiday season, three productions are being performed in West Michigan, each with its own interpretation of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet.

The Grand Rapids Ballet Company is teaming up with the Grand Rapids Symphony to present The Nutcracker for another season. It has been a favorite for 38 seasons, one that audiences have come to expect year after year.

To engage ballet-goers, the Grand Rapids Ballet tries to give its version of the story "a lot of heart," said Associate Artistic Director Laura Berman. "We take the audience through the emotion of the story."

By focusing on the original E.T.A. Hoffmann story, the main character (Clara)'s adventures are not as dark as other versions can be. Instead, the Ballet Company brings out "the humor and magic of Christmas...we add elements and lots of special effects to give a sense of the magical feel of a child's dreams," Berman explains.

The humor will appeal to both children and adults. For example, during the battle scene, a giant mousetrap is used as a weapon, and the smallest mouse leads the charge. Adults will also appreciate the comedic role of Mother Ginger who, in the Ballet Company's version, is often played by a local celebrity who improvs the scene on stage.

"She becomes almost a Mother Goose character," said Berman. "And is often done by men in drag; it's the humor coming in."

New elements are added in each year to keep it exciting. The backstage technicians do almost as much as the dancers, according to Berman, and the lavish sets are changed frequently with the movement and rhythm of the music, provided by the Grand Rapids Symphony.

"It's a wonderful story with wonderful music," Berman said.

If looking for a more whimsical and imaginative interpretation of The Nutcracker, the Moscow Ballet is the one to see. The Great Russian Nutcracker is in its 16th season of touring the U.S. and Canada, doing more than 100 performances every season. As it travels, local children dance alongside ballet stars, like prima ballerina Cristina Terentieva , to support its educational outreach program that teaches "The Arts Can Make a Difference."

The dancers themselves are classically trained in Russian dance and, although precise and calculated, the ballet has been praised for its vibrancy and expressive nature. The Moscow Ballet allows its choreographers and artistic directors to take creative license with the settings in order to keep it interesting and pertinent.

For example, Choreographer Anatoli Emelianov sets Act II in the "Land of Peace and Harmony," instead of the scripted "Land of Enchantment." The Nutcracker, wounded in the battle against the Rat King, is transformed into a handsome prince who is guided with Masha, or Marie, by a dove into a land without war and suffering. Cultural understanding has been a long-standing theme for the Moscow Ballet.

The Kalamazoo-based Ballet Arts Ensemble performs The Nutcracker every other year with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Of the 128 cast of dancers, 85 are children who play a variety of roles.

"It's filled with action and a lot of characters," said Cathy Huling, the artistic director. "Drosselmeyer is quite mysterious and a little funny at times, while the Rat Queen is quite scary with smoke and special effects."

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the Ballet Arts Ensemble's Nutcracker is "typically a very children oriented production," Huling said. The interpretation she uses is primarily traditional. The Nutcracker is Clara's protector, "and she loves him as a guardian."

However, contrary to most productions, "Clara is performed by a 10 year old child," said Huling, which is uncommon because the young protagonist is typically a character of central focus and importance.

Other small alterations have been made; the leader of the rats is their Queen, not king. Mother Ginger has also been changed; instead, a candy cane soloist fills her role. "The audience doesn't expect it," said Huling, "and the scene does well as it is." Since 1997 Huling and the Ensemble has been adding to and embellishing the sets, resulting "in a top-notch professional production."