"This story is fiction and based on history," Ann Van Kuren, creator of Winter's Light Over Big Spring, said. "But the characters, the location, and the traditions are all real. This story never happened, but it very well could have."
The story is told through dancers of all ages, most of whom dance at the Kennedy Dance Center, and a storyteller. The dances have different meanings that portray the story; for example, the first dance is based on a Native American legend.
This play is different from a typical play with actors because of the storyteller. Instead of separate actors telling the story, the storyteller narrates while the characters act out the story through dance, without saying a word. The storyteller has the job of keeping the audience in touch with what is going on in the story.
"It is different from a normal play because I am all the characters," said Jan Kinney, the storyteller. "The audience has to rely on their imaginations to set up the characters."
Acting out the story through dance is not as easy as one may think, she said.
"The difficult part is having to take cues from the dancers and the dancers taking cues from me, and making both parts fit together," Kinney said.
Alexandra Laubscher, a 14-year-old girl who plays Stargazer, has been dancing for 11 years but has never danced in a production such as this before.
"It is kind of difficult because I am used to dancing to music, and now I have to dance to the speed of a storyteller," said Laubscher, who dances for the Kennedy Dance Center. "But it is a unique way of dancing."
This is the second year the show will be performed. An extended cast and dance numbers were added.
Performances are at 3 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Bellefonte Elementary School auditorium, located at North Allegheny and Linn Streets in Bellefonte.
Tickets are still available and can be bought at Cool Beans Coffee and Tea, 141 W. High St. in Bellefonte or at the door. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.
