The Brandon Ballet will kick off the holiday season with a presentation of its 25th annual production of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, The Nutcracker. There will be three performances at Riverview High School located at 11311 Boyette Rd. in Riverview. On Saturday, December 8, a performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, December 9, performances will be held at 2 and 5:30 p.m.
The Nutcracker tells the story of a little girl named Clara who is given the gift of a wooden toy nutcracker by her Uncle Drosselmeyer. The magic happens when the toy soldier comes to life and takes Clara on a magical journey through an enchanted winter wonderland where she encounters dancing snowflakes, an elegant Snow Queen and the majestic Sugar Plum Fairy.
“As this marks the 25th anniversary of Brandon Ballet’s The Nutcracker, we are proud to utilize many original parts of this non-profit organization’s production while adding updates to reflect this season’s entire company. As our company has grown substantially from last season, audiences will enjoy seeing familiar favorites throughout the sets, costumes and cast while also being surprised by new additions,” said Lyndsey Ladewig, President of the Brandon Ballet.
The leading roles are being performed by Brandon Ballet full time professional artists and guest artists. The role of the Sugar Plum Fairy will be performed by Sarah Parry of Valrico and Courtney Moody of Ellenton. They will be partnered with Brandon Ballet professional artist, Julio Concepcion and returning guest artist, Anton LaMon.
“I am proud to work with professional artists who also lead very rich lives with pursuits in their future occupational areas while also having a strong commitment to growing their professional ballet career,” said Doricha Sales, Artistic Director.
The role of Clara is being performed by Mia Olivares, a 12-year-old who trains five days a week with The Dance Center in Brandon. The role of Fritz is being performed by child guest artist, Jeloni Parks of Hudson. Parks, age 11, trains with Competitive Edge Dance Company in St. Petersburg.
To get tickets, please visit www.tututix.com/brandonballet.
