News Briefs: Musical Revue, new KC Ballet location and University of North Carolina protests

The theater department put on its annual Musical Revue on Sept. 13. The theme was “A Knight of Rock-N-Roll”, and songs that were performed came from musicals such as “Jagged Little Pill” and “Grease.” 

Though hosted and organized by the theater program, students from all grades could audition. Auditions happened on Aug. 16 — the first day of school — and rehearsals took place twice a week after school.

“One of the things that makes it fun is the interaction between grades,” Chamber Choir member and senior Audrey Apprill said. “You get to know the underclassmen, and it establishes a strong senior-freshman bond for the year.”

Rehearsals consisted of running through the songs in performance groups and learning simple choreography that went along with the pieces. Apprill believes this choreography sets the show apart from other choir performances.

“Choir and theater really are a big community,” Apprill said. “[The Musical Revue] definitely reflects that and it’s such a good time because of how well we all get along.”

The Kansas City Ballet school location located at Nall Ave. and W 94th Street reopened on Sept. 5 after a $2.1 million remodel. The space tripled in size as it was expanded from 2,000 to 10,000 sq feet. 

“The new space is really inviting, it’s new, it’s vibrant, and that feeds into the way our dancers participate in their classes,” KC Ballet school director Grace Holmes said. “They’re going to progress much faster in a nicer space.”

Holmes oversees the program implementation and training of teachers for the school. The remodeling allowed the studio to offer a diverse array of classes to adults and to inspire people to try dance.

“We also want to serve our community better by reaching out to different parts of our residents,” Holmes said. “So we’re able to provide services to many more different groups of people who have different needs.”