One of the world’s most famous ballets, “The Nutcracker,“ was first performed in 1892. The story, by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, tells the tale of a young girl named Clara who discovers that a magical nutcracker is actually a handsome prince. Together, the pair travels to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, where the prince is released from a spell, and he and Clara live happily ever after.
“Our Nutcracker is huge,” says Linda Lee Cunningham, artistic director of State Street Dance Studio in Geneva. “We have lots of professional guest dancers, over 100 people in the cast and incredible special effects, including flying effects.”
The State Street Dance production features former Joffrey Ballet dancer Ariel Cisneros; Cuban native, Abdelazis Roque, formerly of the Miami City Ballet; and dancer Jessi Kennedy, who appeared on “Dance Moms: Miami.”
This holiday season, check out one of these local productions:
State Street Dance Studio will present “The Nutcracker Ballet” at 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre. Purchase tickets by calling State Street Dance Studio at 630-232-0444 or visiting www.bataviafineartscentre.org or www.Facebook.com/StateStreetDance. For more information visit www.statestreetdancestudio.com.
Ruth Page Civic Ballet will present “The Nutcracker” on Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 9 at Elgin Community College. For tickets and showtimes, visit www.elgin.edu. Purchase tickets through the ECC Box Office, Building H, Room H143, or by emailing artscenter@elgin.edu.
DanceWest Ballet will present “The Nutcracker” from Friday, Dec. 14 through Sunday, Dec. 16, at Pfeiffer Hall at North Central College, 310 E. Benton Ave., in Naperville. For ticket prices and showtimes, visit ww.dancewestballet.com or call the Pfeiffer Hall box office 630-637-SHOW.
Beth Fowler Dance Company will present its 14th annual performance of “The Nutcracker” at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at the historic Egyptian Theater, 135 N. Second St., in DeKalb. Tickets and information are available at 815-784-5658 or www.bethfowlerschoolofdance.com. kc
