Willimantic- Dance students from EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater Arts Academy (CTAA) will present The Nutcracker, a classic holiday dance show, on Fri. and Sat., Dec. 14 and 15, 2012, at 7 p.m. and on Sun., Dec. 16, 2012, at 2 p.m. at EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater, 896 Main St., Willimantic.
The Nutcracker cast includes 60 dancers from 11 towns, including Brooklyn, Columbia, Coventry, Hampton, Lebanon, Mansfield, Scotland, Storrs, Willimantic, Willington, and Windham.
Leading dance roles will be performed by Emily Sandall of Storrs, as Clara; Paige Woods of Mansfield Center, as the Nutcracker; Chloe Chibeau of Mansfield, Maya Shieber of Storrs and Melissa Shain of Willington, as the Sugar Plum Fairy; Colleen Millerick of Columbia, as the Mouse King; Sarah McNeal of Storrs, Cassandra Vigue of Lebanon and Priska Burkhard of Mansfield Center, as the Snow Queen; Mira Godin of Mansfield, as the Ballerina Doll; Trinity DelCiampo-Restrepo of Storrs, as the Clown Doll; and Micaela Mellow of Columbia, as the Soldier Doll.
CTAA’s production of The Nutcracker is directed by Rachel Leigh Roccoberton, with choreography by Amy Chibeau, Alana Mahdalik and Sarah Mallory.
The Nutcracker, which features the beloved music of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, has become a holiday classic around the world. Originally premiered in Russia’s famed Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg in 1892, The Nutcracker opens with a Christmas party at the elegant Stahlbaum house. When Clara’s godfather Drosselmeyer arrives, he brings magical tricks and amazing, life-sized dolls. His gift to Clara is a Nutcracker. After the guests leave, Clara’s dreamy adventure begins as her stalwart Nutcracker battles the Mouse King in a famously choreographed ballet. Her Nutcracker, who has transformed into a prince, brings Clara through the Christmas Tree and into a land of enchantment where the sweets, led by the Sugar Plum Fairy, dance to the famous strains of Tchaikovsky’s well-known score.
Regular tickets are $10, while tickets for students and seniors are $8. Call the Capitol Theater Box Office at 860-465-5636 to order tickets. Walk-up ticket sales will be available at the Box Office starting one hour before each performance. Free parking is available on Main Street and on Walnut Street, adjacent to the theater.
CTAA is EASTCONN’s regional community arts program for young people, ages 3 and up. CTAA offers community classes in dance, music, theater, creative writing, cartooning, and more. Classes take place at the Capitol Theater in downtown Willimantic. Learn more at www.eastconn.org/ctaa.
Watch for CTAA’s new winter/spring catalog, which will be released soon. To learn more about CTAA programming, call CTAA Coordinator Rachel Roccoberton Griffin at 860-465-5636 x1023.
EASTCONN is a public, non-profit, Regional Educational Service Center that has been serving the education needs of northeastern Connecticut’s schools and communities since 1980. Learn more at www.eastconn.org.
