The Mane Issue - December 2010

Upcoming EventsPage 2 December 2010

Wednesday, December 1

8 a.m. Test Preparation for Ornamental and Turf PestControl State Permit for Professional Services

Thursday, December 2

7 p.m. WSCC Basketball vs. Bryan College JV (Tenn.)

Saturday, December 4

2:30 p.m. The Nutcracker7 p.m. The Nutcracker

Sunday, December 5

2:30 p.m. The Nutcracker

Monday, December 6

5:30 p.m. WSCC Women's Basketball vs. AL Southern

Tuesday, December 7

6 p.m. Phlebotomy Info Session7 p.m. Quartetto Gelato7 p.m. Community Concert7 p.m. Journey College Bible Study

Wednesday, December 8

7:30 a.m. GED Testing6 p.m. WSCC Basketball at Atlanta Sports Academy

Thursday, December 9 - Wednesday, December 15

FINAL EXAMS


7 p.m. Vivaldi’s "Gloria", BLH Theatre


5:30p.m. WSCC Women's Basketball vs. Ga. Perimeter

Sunday, December 12

2 p.m. Jazz Band Christmas Concert, Burrow CenterRecital Hall

Monday, December 13

Online and Onsite Registration EndsFirst day books can be charged on Pell Grant and

Direct Loan

Tuesday, December 14

Tuition and Fees Due5:30 p.m. WSCC Women's Basketball vs. Roane State7:30 p.m. WSCC Men’s Basketball vs. Roane State


Miniterm III (Christmas Interim)Fall Grades DueOnline Registration Reopens

Friday, December 17 - Wednesday, December 22

Miniterm III (Christmas Interim)


Miniterm III (Christmas Interim)2 p.m. WSCC Women's Basketball at L.B. Wallace4 p.m. WSCC Basketball at L.B. Wallace CC

Wednesday, December 22 - Friday, December 31

Christmas Holidays/College Closed

Spring Classes begin January 10.

The Spring Semester schedule of

classes is now online.

For additional dates, please visit

www.wallacestate.edu.

STAFF MEMBERS

Anna Parrish Jessica Cagle

Zack Gordon Evan Hicks

Katie Nelms Alyssa White

ParticipationThe staff of the Mane Issue needs help! If you have any have any interest in cre-ative writing, Photoshop or Quark programs, advertising, or journalism then weneed you for the new semester! Staff meetings are currently held at 3:00pm onWednesdays in the Graphics Lab Room 219 of the Burrow Center. You may volun-teer or register for the class. The course is available in both a one credit hour classand a two credit hour class. The course numbers are 07402 MCM Student Publica-tions (1hr) and 07401 MCM 213 Student Publications (2hrs). No experience is nec-essary, Everyone is welcome. It is sponsored by the Wallace StateCommunications and Marketing Department and the Wallace State Art Depart-ment.

If you are interested, please contact: Kristen Holmes Ph:256-352-8118,Burrow Center Museum, [email protected]; Russell Moore, Ph:256-352-8443, Burrow Center, Room 210, [email protected]; orAdrian Scott, Ph: 256-352-8145, [email protected], Burrow Center,Room 219.

MissionIt is the mission of the Wallace State newspaper to inform the Wallace State stu-dent body of campus news and events.

Submissions and SuggestionsIf you have a story idea or would like to make a submission to the Wallace State

newspaper, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. All submis-

sions must include the author’s name and contact information.

The Mane Issue

Newspaper StaffLittle Black Dress

themed fundraiser

The Wallace State Alumni Association and Future Foundation are hosting a schol-arship fundraising event in February and are searching for students with artisticability to hand paint glasses to be used for the event. Below is a sample of whatwe are looking for, but you are free to use artistic license with the project as longas it fits within the “Little Black Dress” theme of the function. We supply theglasses and you supply the creativity and paint! The deadline for the finishedproducts is January 10th and the glasses may be picked up at any time. For each25 glasses painted a student will receive a $100 scholarship to be used in thecampus bookstore for the Spring semester.

If you are interested in participating, email a sample of your work [email protected] or call her at 256-352-8071 to schedule an ap-pointment to discuss the project. This is a wonderful opportunity for your work tobe displayed at a major event so please consider participating.

Artistic Students Needed

Around TownPage 3 December 2010

Open Mic NightBy: Katie Nelms

Fifteen minutes north of Hanceville, in downtown Cullman, is a quaint little cof-fee shop that offers people a place to show off their talents.

Bob Keefe opened his shop eight years ago because he wanted to recreate a1960s California coffee house or at least how he remembered it. Being that hewas very interested in music, especially folk he started offering local perform-ers a place to showcase their talent.

Over the years Bob has had people of all ages from 13 to 90 years old. Openmic night has since grown and expanded outside of the county from Birmingham to Huntsville to Florence andeverywhere in between. The write up in “Southern Living” probably helped spread the word.

There are musicians, poets, storytellers and even comedians. WSCC student Tim Childers recently performed his comedic take on Cull-man’s quirks and his former job at Walt Disney World. There is always a variety in music including but not limited to: Christian, bluegrass,covers and folk. More and more singer-songwriters have been taking the stage.

Open mic night is the first and third Monday of every month from 7:00-9:00. The first 12 performers to sign up are guaranteed to perform twoor three songs; whoever comes late may sign up but may not be able to perform. To guarantee a spot be there by 6:30 p.m. It is asked thatyour performance be family-friendly, no off color or profanity.

By: Jessica Cagle

I have lived in Hanceville for 11 yearsand not only have I heard many people com-plain that there is nothing to do in Hanceville,but I have done the same myself until just re-cently. Even though Hanceville is not a bigcity, it has a surprisingly vast array of thingsto do that cater to many interests.

If you’re into music, particularlysinging, you may want to try Wanna Be’sKaraoke- it started out on Arkadelphia Road(where Video Express used to be), but hasrecently moved outside of Hanceville onHighway 91 S, near the interstate. It is openThursday-Sunday from 6:00 PM until every-one gets tired and ready to go home. Admis-sion is only $3 on Thursday and Sunday, $5on Friday and Saturday.

Maybe you’re more interested insports than music; if so, Wallace State’s ten-

nis courts are free to use and even open onthe weekend. If you’re feeling really adven-turous, try out the free skateboard park atCW Day Hanceville Park and Recreation(which is also home of the Hanceville swim-ming pool); it has more to offer the seriousskateboarder than just a slab of concrete.

Maybe food is your passion. Besidesa number of fast food restaurants, Hancevillehas enough regular restaurants to satisfymost appetites and budgets: Luna’s BBQ,Lupe’s Mexican Restaurant, the new CrazyBuffet, and Huddle House. One of my fa-vorite places to go is to the Hanceville DrugCompany because it features an old timeymalt shop with spinning stools at the bar andprices even a college student can afford (youcan’t beat 3 scoops for $2); open Mondaythrough Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM andSaturday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

For the religious or those just appre-

ciative of great beauty, a visit to the Shrine ofthe Most Blessed Sacrament is a must. It’sopen Monday through Saturday from 6:00AM to 9:30 PM and Sunday from 6:00 AM to6:00 PM. There is also a gift shop open eachday from 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM.

If you’re interested in Art, WallaceState is home of the The Evelyn Burrow Mu-seum, which houses a $9.5 million art collec-tion, that was donated by Evelyn Burrow. Themuseum is open Tuesday through Saturdayfrom 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

My favorite place to go in Hanceville isSAWE Wrestling on Friday nights from 8:00PM until 11:00 PM (people enjoy arrivingearly to hang out before the wrestling starts),located on Highway 31 next to CrosshavenChurch. Admission is $5.

I bet that you didn’t know there was actuallyso much to do in Hanceville-I know I didn’t.

Pictured left: TheWallace State JazzBand performingfor residents oflocal nursinghomes and as-sisted living facili-ties.

Pictured right: Jor-dan Ratliff sings“Everything” byMichael Buble.

Things to do in Hanceville

Page 4 December 2010

Activities

By Jessica Cagle

Have you ever wondered if there ismore to Wallace State than meets theeye?

I have, so I did some research into itshistory and found some very interestingthings I think people will enjoy knowing.

Wallace State was founded in 1966and named after Alabama GovernorGeorge C. Wallace.

Wallace State started out with onlyfour buildings and those original buildingsare now the General Studies building, theBanquet Hall, the Harlan G. Allen MathBuilding and the Electronics/DraftingBuilding.

While the Student Center was notone of the earliest buildings, it has beenthe home of Woody’s Grill since Feb. 6,1980 when Woody Brooks, now 72 yearsold, began cooking for the staff and stu-dents of Wallace State.

For those of you who cannot imaginethe Student Center without Woody’s Grill,you can rest assured that Woody has no

intentions of retiring any time soon.Researching Wallace State made me

curious about alumni who went on to be-come famous people, so I dug in a littledeeper and found some names you mightrecognize: ABC 33/40’s Jason Simpson,Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook, PGAgolfer Brett Wetterich, NASA Rocket Sci-entist Mary Hovater, Miss Alabama 2004Shannon Camper Gryska, AtlantaBraves’ pitcher Craig Kimbrel and TexasRangers pitcher Derek Holland.

Wallace State Community College iscontinuously growing and evolving, be-coming a better college with each grow-ing year.

With everything offered by WallaceState, including more than 50 majors, theodds are good that some of you readingthis article will be included among futurefamous alumni.

Every student should be proud to say“I attend Wallace State,” when askedwhere they go to college.

I know I am.

By: Anna Parrish

If you are a student and seeking advice in any way feel free to contact The ManeIssue.

We will be starting an advice column in our January issue. All you have to do issubmit your question to us at [email protected] using a fake name andlook for the advice in the next paper.

We look forward to being able to help you to the best of out ability with any situa-tion you are struggling with.

Fun Wallace State Facts

Need advice? Ask The

Mane Issue

By: Russell MooreWallace State hosted its final Freshman/Faculty

Luncheon of the fall semester at the Student Center on Tues-day and those present were serenaded with Christmas music,performed by the Wallace State Jazz Band.

The Freshman/Faculty Luncheon is part of WallaceState’s First-Year Initiative. It allows Wallace State studentsand faculty to get to know each other outside of the classroomand grow more comfortable together in a relaxed setting.

The monthly lunches take place in the Wallace StateStudent Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first Tuesday ofeach month. Most participants enjoy lunch from Woody’s Grillduring the event.

The lunches have been extremely beneficial to Wal-lace State freshman Brittany Scott.

“I’m new to this school, new to the Cullman area and Iwanted to meet new people. This group has been so nice, so

welcoming and such a relief,” said Scott, 27, who recentlymoved to Cullman County from Atlanta. “It’s comforting whenyou see these people around campus because they are goingto take the time to stop and ask you how your morning is orhow you are doing.”

Recent sponsors of the lunch included the WallaceState English Department in October and the Computer Sci-ence Department in November.

The first lunch of the spring semester is scheduled forWednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.

The Freshman/Faculty Luncheon was formed by theFirst Year Gateway Initiative team at Wallace State, whichwas comprised of faculty and staff members who were dedi-cated to improve the first-year experience of students atWSCC through academic support and interaction, engage-ment with students and improving overall satisfaction, reten-tion and grade point averages.

Freshman/Faculty Luncheon

Several Students attending the luncheonLeft: Jonithon Deaver, Trombone; Right: Katelynn Briscoe, Trum-pet

From left to right: Hannah Knight, Blake Van Winkle, Jake Curtis,and Jonithon Deaver

Wallace State’s women’s basketball team made a splash in its homedebut. Three women finished with double figures and a stellar defensive effort inthe first half propelled the Lady Lions to a 79-64 victory at Tom Drake ColiseumMonday night.

After playing its first eight games in three different states, Wallace State(6-3) finally enjoyed a game on its home court.

“We were glad to play on our court for a change. Our defense in the firsthalf was the difference,” said Wallace State coach Larry Slater. “We’ve got tocontinue to get better.”

Wallace State’s defense limited Alabama Southern to only 20 percentshooting from the field in the first half and 37 percent in the game.

Tacouya Allen paced Wallace State with her first career double-double,pouring in 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Nisha Walker scored a team-high 18 points and Bailee Robinson contributed 14.

Wallace State charged out to a 24-4 advantage in the first half andpushed the lead to 37-19 at the break. Alabama Southern never got within 15points in the second half.

Zadous Pollard and Natalie Kelley each added seven points to WallaceState’s attack, while Kendra Jones and Brooklyn Warren had six points apiece.

Nakiya Smith led Alabama Southern with a game-high 24 points.Wallace State resumes home action Saturday, hosting Georgia Perime-

ter at 2 p.m. For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit www.wallaces-

tate.edu

Lady Lions coast past Alabama Southernin home opener

Freshmen Faculty LuncheonDates for Spring 2011:

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 -to be hosted by the

Social Sciences department

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Student ArtPage 5 December 2010

Influences: Music, Comics

Mane Issue: ”How long have you been

involved in art?”

Devon: “My entire life [laughs].”

MI: “Where do you draw inspiration?”

DB: “I draw most of my inspiration from

games, comics, and music.”

MI: “Does music, politics, or culture in-

fluence your art at all?”

DB: “Politics and culture not so much.

Music, on the other hand, can some-

times impact it. If you know the music I

listen to and then see my art you in-

stantly understand.”

MI: “What is your major at WSCC and

can you describe what you do and

what you like about it?”

DB: “Visual Communications. And I do

art [laughs].”

MI: “Do you or have you ever done any

freelance work?”

DB: “Yes. There have been occasions

where someone wants something

drawn or painted for his or her kid, but

nothing more than that really. I’m hop-

ing to change that soon so keep an

eye out for my stuff.”

MI: “What is your favorite medium?”

DB: “As of now my favorite is acrylic.

Although I can’t forget all of my old

school graphite drawings filling up old

spiral bound notebooks.”

MI: “Anything in art that you find partic-

ularly difficult?”

DB: “Its all difficult to an extent. I can

never truly make something look the

way it does in my head.”

MI: “A lot of your art is comic based.

How have your favorite comics influ-

enced you?”

DB: “Yeah, the guy that has influenced

me the most over the years has been

Todd McFarlane and his Spawn series.

That has influenced the style and na-

ture of work a lot.”

MI: “Are you currently working on any

new projects aside from the ones for

school?”

DB: “Mainly just acrylic paintings and

I’m also working on my graphic novel.”

MI: “Do you believe local art can have

a positive impact on the community?”

DB: “I believe it can, but in this particu-

lar area, people aren’t as open minded

about it as I would like.”

Interview by: Zack Gordon

Local Artist Profile: Devon Basinger

Campus NewsPage 6 December 2010

Here is a list of scholarships availible by the Future Foundation,their eligibility criteria, and how many are available per year.

Angela Joy Tidwell Respiratory Therapy ScholarshipEstablished in memory of Wallace State respiratory therapy graduate, Angela JoyTidwellEligibility criteria: demonstrate financial need, second year majoring in respiratorytherapy, preference given to Tidwell family member. Awarded during the fall se-mester for up to $1000 dependent upon available funds. Non renewable, 1 per ac-ademic year.

B. Don Hale Endowed ScholarshipEstablished in memory of B. Don Hale, State Senator from Cullman County.Additional Documentation Required: Letter of recommendation regarding appli-cant’s leadership qualities or positions of leadership held. Separate essay on citi-zenship and leadership.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need. Preference given to previous stu-dents of West Point High School. GPA 2.5.Awarded the fall semester for one academic year. Amount covers up to $1250 persemester dependent upon available funds. Renewable Spring semester if a GPA of2.5 or higher is maintained. Awarded for one academic year.

Bagwell Family ScholarshipEstablished by Tommy and Chantal Bagwell to provide scholarships to students at-tending community colleges within close proximity of their family business locations.Eligibility criteria: demonstrate financial need, be enrolled in a technical program,give back to the college through service or monetary contributions during their life-time. GPA 2.5. Awarded the fall semester for one academic school year. $1250 persemester, contingent upon academic excellence. 4 per academic school year.

Birmingham Fasteners ScholarshipEstablished for the express purpose of providing scholarships to students withpreference given to Birmingham Fastener, Inc. employees, their dependents andrelatives, and friends of Birmingham Fasteners, Inc.Eligibility criteria: Demonstrate financial need, GPA of 2.5 or higher, preference toBirmingham Fasteners employees. Awarded the fall semester for up to $1250 forfour semesters dependent on available funds. Contingent upon maintaining a 3.0or higher GPA. 2 per academic year.

Bonita Thompson Keith Respiratory Therapy ScholarshipEstablished in memory of Bonita Thompson Keith to provide financial assistance torespiratory therapy students.Eligibility criteria: Demonstrate financial need, second year student majoring in res-piratory therapy, GPA of 3.0 or higher, ACT of 18 or higher. Awarded fall semesterfor $1000 dollars dependent on available funds. Non renewable, one per academicyear.

Cullman-Jefferson Gas ScholarshipEstablished for one academic and one athletic scholarship to be awarded annually.Additional Documentation required: customer bill stub or copy of statement.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, must exhibit outstanding academiccredentials, leadership/community service, preference given to Cullman-JeffersonGas customers. Must maintain a 2.5 GPA or greater.Awarded during fall semester for up to two academic years. Amount covers up to$1250 dollars. Two per academic year.

Deb Buettner Endowed ScholarshipEstablished by Edgar J. Austin in memory of Deb Buettner.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, female, business major, demon-strate community service involvement. Awarded fall semester for one academicschool year for up to $1250. Spring semester contingent upon academic excel-lence. One per academic year.

Dennis H. Johnson Memorial ScholarshipEstablished to Provide scholarships for degree seeking students enrolled in a tech-nical or business program. Eligibility Criteria: Resident of Cullman County with a GPA 3.0 or higher.Awarded during the fall semester. Amount covers up to $1250 per semester de-pendent on available funds. Contingent upon maintaining a 3.0 or higher. One peracademic year.

FMI-Medical ScholarshipEstablished to provide financial assistance for students accepted into the MachineTool Technology Degree Program combined with the Computer Numeric ControlCertificate Program.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, GPA of 3.0 or higher, preferencegiven to applicants residing in the Madison, AL area. Awarded the fall semester for$1250 for up to six semesters. Contingent upon academic excellence and atten-dance. One per academic year.

Future Foundation Dual EnrollmentOpen to high school students enrolled in dual enrollment courses. Demonstrate fi-nancial need, GPA of 2.5 or higher, must be enrolled in an Alabama accreditedsecondary school. Awarded each semester, covers one class per semester. Con-tingent upon academic excellence and reapplication each semester.

Future Foundation General ScholarshipOpen to incoming freshmen currently enrolled at Wallace StateEligibility Criteria: demonstrate financial need, GPA of 2.5 or higher. Awarded eachsemester for up to $1000. Contingent upon academic excellence. Must reapplyeach semester.

Future Foundation Specialist ScholarshipOpen to currently enrolled Wallace State students.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, open to second year Wallace stu-dents, requires a minimum of 8 service hours to the foundation office per week,GPA 2.5. Awarded fall semester for one academic year for up to $1000. Contingentupon academic excellence. One per academic year.

James D. Bagwell ScholarshipEstablished to assist students in transfer programs articulating to a four year col-lege.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, GPA of 2.5 or higher, second yearstudent. Awarded the fall semester for up to $2000. Contingent upon academic ex-cellence. One per academic year.

Kateah Pinkard Memorial ScholarshipEstablished in memory of Kateah Pinkard to provide financial assistance to Sonog-raphy students.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, GPA of 3.0 or higher, second yearstudent. Awarded the fall semester and the amount varies. Non renewable.

REHAU, Inc. ScholarshipEstablished to provide financial assistance to technical students or those pursuingAS engineering degrees.Additional Documentation Required: letter of recommendation regarding leadershipqualities.Eligibility Criteria: demonstrate financial need, be enrolled in technical degree orPre-Engineering AS program, and demonstrate leadership qualities. ACT score of21 or higher. GPA of 3.0 or higher. Preference to children of REHAU employees.Awarded during the fall semester. Amount covers $1250 per semester.Contingent upon maintaining a 3.0 or higher. One per academic year.

Richard Bunis Memorial ScholarshipEstablished by the Family of Richard Bunis to provide financial assistance to stu-dents enrolled at Wallace State Community College with preference given to dislo-cated/displaced workers.Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, GPA of 2.5 or higher.Awarded the fall semester for up to $1250. Contingent upon academic excellence.One per academic year.

Richard Coretti Aviation ScholarshipEstablished by Richard Newman and the Caretti family in memory of RichrdCaretti.Eligibility Criteria: demonstrate financial need, ACT score of 20 or higher, be en-rolled in the AAS Flight Technology program, and maintain a third class medicalcertificate. Awarded in the fall semester for “in air” flight training only for $500 de-pendent upon available funds. Non renewable. Two per academic year.

WSCC Sonography Club ScholarhipEstablished and Funded by WSCC Sonography students for summer tuition assis-tance. Additional Documentation: letter of recommendationEligibility Criteria: Demonstrate financial need, GPA of 3.75 or higher on all sonog-raphy coursework, an “A” on clinical evaluations, demonstrate leadership and/orcommunity service. Awarded the summer semester only for up to $500. Non re-newable. Two per summer semester.

To apply for any of these scholarships or for more information, visit www.wallaces-tate.edu/alumni-giving; contact the Wallace State Future Foundation at 256-352-8144, or email [email protected]. The Future Foundation office isone of the offices located on the second floor, outside the WSCC Coliseum.

Future Foundation ScholarshipsBy: Zack Gordon

Holiday Season Special

The Montgomery Ballet’s The NutcrackerPage 7 December 2010

Gone are the days when one dressed up togo out to a movie or play. Only the most formal ofevents still demand a special choice of attire andthat’s simply a shame as special garments can trulyset the mood for a spectacular occasion. So, it was tomy immense delight that I found the MontgomeryBallet’s production of “The Nutcracker” to be one ofthe most elegant, lavish events that Wallace Statehas seen in quite some time. Haynes Theatre wasthe venue for the production which ran December 4thand 5th and while many students attended, several ofWallace State’s best were even part of the produc-tion.

Among the students participating were Jor-dan Ratliff, former Miss Wallace State and a member

of the cast for Wallace State’s musical, “Little Shop of

Horrors,” Paige Harbison, Miss Wallace State of2011, Jacob Neal, Katrina Austin, Corey Burks,Daniel Bussey, Zach Buse, and Taylor Carpenter.

While the audience was nicely attired, their raiment

could not outshine those of the cast who, in full cos-tume, greeted the audience as they entered. Thatmay not seem too outlandish but considering their

wonderful outfits, which were complimented by the

hall’s decorations, and the fact that every time some-one entered the building a flood of icy air washedover the performers, I was impressed. Young adults

were somewhat sparse in the audience as the major-

ity of attendees were older individuals or parents withchildren, which is not noteworthy at present but willbecome more important after the review of the per-

formance itself and it was quite the performance.

If there was any one thing that made theMontgomery Ballet’s production standout, it was thecast’s nearly universally superb technique. There

were moments where a synchronized movement’s

timing was slightly off or where a lift wasn’t finishedproperly, and even one glaring error where a youngballerina was never en pointe throughout an entire

dance but these weaknesses were specks on the

spotlight of “The Nutcracker’s” brilliant work. So manydancers excelled that it’s difficult to give each theirdue- Ian Morris, Joseph and Laura Villalobos, Molly

Wagner, and Patrick Wilson all turned out impressive

performances. Yet even among so many talenteddancers, it was Morris’s aerial acrobatics and jovialeffulgence that shined out as the highlight of theevening. Only Carl Backman’s hilarious physical ges-turing as the gigantic Mother Ginger was able to

equally capture the audience’s attention.

Up until midway through the first act, it wasdifficult to tear one’s eyes away from the ladies’ gor-geous dresses, which were handled by LynnRohrman, and the intricately executed backdropsand set pieces which were the work of Seay Eare-hart. Rohrman’s dresses had many of the girls in at-tendance grabbing onto to their own skirts andpretending to twirl around in a long gown, just as theballerinas they’d seen had. Because of the generousfinancial support from the production’s many spon-sors and the National Endowment for the Arts, “TheNutcracker” had the budget it needed to make theballet truly come alive for its audience.

If there were any major weaknesses in “TheNutcracker,” they came from the occasionally spottyspecial effects used and the handling of the plot inthe second act. Rohrman’s ball gowns and the othercostumes likely consumed a large portion of thebudget but nonetheless, the cannon used in the firstact felt weak when it failed to produce any visible evi-dence of its firing even though the sound effect-onlyexplosion was comedically intended, and the snowmachines used in the second act were not only noisybut unnecessary due to the presence of fog ma-chines. Tchaikovsky’s music in the second act of“The Nutcracker” includes several famous scores, in-cluding he “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” and thismusic tends to produce dancing of equivalent merit,which was the case in this production. However,while the ballet’s dancing, effects, and costumessoared to new heights in the second act, the plot,which is naturally weak in the final leg of the play,simply vanished out of sight like the Nutcrackerprince did from Clara’s side.

Despite a few minor shortcomings, the Mont-gomery Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” wasgreat fun, masterfully danced and dressed, and ahighlight of the holiday season in Cullman. Anyonelooking for a mesmerizing, rousing, and exciting out-ing should be on the lookout for their next productionand keep an eye on the ballet’s young rising stars.Yet, I cannot fail to add a final note to this review, forwhile I have finished reviewing the production, I’m

afraid the audience needs to be critiqued as well, so

as to remind any future patrons of a ballet of propertheatre etiquette.

“The Nutcracker” is a time honored, tradi-

tional Christmas season ballet and if it were rated for

the box office, it would come away with a G ratingand a minor note about cartoon violence. But just be-

cause the Nutcracker is never lewd, crude, or overlyviolent does not mean that it is appropriate for allages. Many young ladies and increasingly youngmen as well, are inspired by the beautiful perform-ances they see at the ballet and that is a wonderfuland moving thing. What is considerably less movingand not at all wonderful is bringing those same chil-dren to the theater two or three years too early, whenthey are not interested in the performance, are un-able to remain in their seat quietly, and need to go tothe bathroom frequently. These are not bad children.There’s likely no such thing as a bad child, only abored one or, just as common, one with poor parents.

The fact that no babysitter was availableshould not be the concern of surrounding audiencemembers. If a child misbehaves, is told to stop, anddoes not do so… repeatedly, it is the parents’ respon-sibility to remove the child from the theater even if itmeans that they themselves cannot see the remain-der of the performance. For the insouciant, uselessparent of a misbehaving child is the only thing moreirksome than the child. Parents must judge for them-selves when their child is ready to go to an event likea ballet, for no two children are the same, but if achild is not ready, then that simply means that one’splans for the night must shift accordingly, not proceedforward regardless of circumstance. Finally, duringthe performance, the use of cell phones is not appro-priate, even as lighting implements, nor is repeatedwhispering, and if one goes to the bathroom, even ifno ushers guard the door or refuse audience mem-bers reentry, it is one’s own duty to wait outside thetheater or in the corner until the end of the act andhere is why. I try to be a patient, understanding per-son and I adore children, l simply love them, but if I’mtrying to review a ballet, I do not want one childstanding at the balcony blocking my view, no matterhow cute she may be and how captivated she is bythe dancers, especially while two other children talkand hit their seats while their parents either smile attheir antics or ineffectively tell them to stop, and anentire family leaves the row in front of me during theclosing minutes of the first act to go the bathroom en

masse, only to return at the exact moment of the

grand finale of the act, blocking my view perfectly.The rule of thumb is simply this, while attending aformal event, act formally or do not attend.

Review By-

Evan Thomas Hicks

Taylor Carpenter, Chestin Riley, and Jordan Ratliff strike a pose during the first act.

What Does Christmas Mean To You?Page 8 December 2010

A Little About The Mane Issue Staff

Brandon Harrod

Age: 18

Major: Visual Communications

“Christmas means life to me.”

Chelsea Thompson

Age: 19


“Um.....CANDY! Oh, and

family traditions:]”

Andre Young

Age: 26

Major: Business Managment &

Supervision

“Christmas means a lot to me. It’s one

of the few times out of the year that

the family comes together and cele-

brate love, peace, and happiness ”

Bradley Shelton

Age: 19


“Getting to watch The Christmas Story

Marathon on TBS.”

Jessica Watson

Age: 21

Major: Health Information Technologies

“To me, Christmas means spending time with family,

friends, and people I love the most. I love giving pres-

ents to people; but also getting some in return is fun. I

also love all of the celebration stuff that we do at

church to celebrate the life of an AWESOME God,

who in return gave us all life and a reason to live!

Merry Christmas=)

Katye Thrash

Age: 20

Major: Elementary Education

“Christmas means spending time with my family, relaxing

at home, and hanging out with my great friends. I love giv-

ing presents to friends and family and making them happy.

Christmas is the perfect time to show the people I love

how much they mean to me. I also love Christmas Eve

Mass with my church family. It’s the best mass all year.

Christmas is the best time of the year.”

Anna Parrish

Age: 19


Zack Gordon

Age: 21

Major: Music

Katie Nelms

Age: 20

Major: General Studies

Alyssa White

Age: 18

Major:

Elementary Education

Jessica Cagle

Age: 19

Major:

Visual Communications

Evan Hicks

Age: 20

Major: English

This could be

You!

Documents

The Mane Issue - December 2010