The Nutcracker Ballet

NEW ENGLAND ACADEMY OF DANCE
and New England Dance Theater Present:

THE NUTCRACKER BALLET

THE ONLY FULL-LENGTH NUTCRACKER PRODUCTION WITH LIVE music by the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra!

New Canaan, CT –

New England Academy of Dance together with New England Dance Theater’s production of The Nutcracker Ballet, now in its 33rd year, is a Fairfield County tradition. The full-length ballet will have three performances at New Canaan High School on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. There will be an interactive children’s performance of Act II on Saturday, December 8th at 11:00 a.m. and, in the spirit of giving, there will also be a special benefit performance for members of local social organizations such as the Carver Foundation of Norwalk, Person to Person in Darien, and The Boys & Girls Club of Stamford.

NEAD and NEDT’s Nutcracker Ballet is the only full-length production in the region to feature dancers accompanied by a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece by the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jonathan Yates.

This year’s production features over 200 ballerinas from New Canaan, Darien, Wilton, Stamford, Norwalk, Bedford, Pound Ridge and other communities in Fairfield and Westchester counties. Senior Rose Engel stars at the Sugar Plum Fairy dancing alongside fellow classmates Ava Edmonds as Clara and Sophie Hill and Esha Dagli as Marzipan.

The Nutcracker, a classical two-act ballet based on the story by E.T.A Hoffmann, follows the enchanting journey of young Clara, who receives a Nutcracker as a gift on Christmas Eve. In her vivid, come-to-life dreams, her Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince, who leads her on a magical journey through an enchanted forest to his Palace of Sweets where she meets the exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy and the people of the Land of Sweets.

Lavish sets and dazzling costumes serve as the backdrop to the extraordinary talent of The Nutcracker cast, comprised of students from the New England Academy of Dance and professional guest artists from New York City performing original choreography by company directors Ted Ortiz, Frances Ortiz and Ginna Ortiz.

“The Nutcracker signifies a magical time of year for people of all ages,” says Ginna Ortiz, one of the company’s directors, “and we are thrilled to give our dancers and our audience the opportunity to experience live performance of the individual pieces of music, bringing each scene to life.”

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is comprised of musicians from all over Fairfield County.
“This historic collaboration makes NEAD and NEDT’s Nutcracker one of the very few to be performed to live music in the entire Northeast,” said Music Director Jonathan Yates.

Seating for The Nutcracker is reserved, and tickets are available online. For more information, visit NEADance.com

NEDT is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our programs would not be possible without support from Bankwell, New Canaan Community Foundation and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office for the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.