Jacksonville, Fla.—Jacksonville University’s College of Fine Arts is proud to announce that its undergraduate dance majors will perform live with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in a choral ballet performance entitled, “The Gift of Magi,” on Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. at the Times Union Center in Downtown Jacksonville.
The performance will be a dance/theatre piece based on the 1905 short story by O. Henry. The characters Jim and Della are a young married couple, very much in love but facing very difficult times. At Christmas, each makes a truly generous sacrifice to give the other a special gift.
The choreography will take the audience on a narrative journey of the story, while also allowing them into Della's (the main characters) psyche.
The piece is choreographed by JU graduate student Amy Baker Schwiethale, who is an assistant professor of musical theatre/choreographer at Wichita State University, School of Performing Arts. The orchestra will be lead by conductor Michael Butterman.
According to Baker Schwiethale, the story's messages of love, sacrifice, wealth and femininity still ring true for today's audiences. She also hopes that the choreography has left room for audiences' own thoughts to emerge about the true meaning of Christmas and unconditional love.
For tickets, please visit www.jaxsymphony.org.
###