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Dance Arts Academy and Company Dance Traverse will present the magical holiday tradition, “The Nutcracker” at Milliken Auditorium, Dennos Museum Center on Thursday, December 19th, Friday, December 20, and Saturday, December 21st at 7:00 p.m., also Saturday, December 21st at 2:00 and Sunday, December 22nd at 1:00 and 5:30 p.m. The performance has a cast of 164 children and adults to tell this delightful Christmas Story of Clara, played by Hadley Clark and Irie Rose Deters, (alternate casts), and the events that take place at the family Christmas Party.
Featured performers include Company Dance Traverse Seniors Marin Brayton and Ellie Stewart as The Sugar Plum Fairy, Kathryn Wonacott and Mia Piedmonte as the Snow Queens, Tessa Newman and Marin Weber as Chocolate Leads. Other leading roles including Katie Lamphere and Kathryn Wonacott playing the part of Rose, Kerrigan Jenkins and Evelyn Stults
as the Coffee Leads, Savannah Hobson and Eden Mroczkowski are our Tea Leads, Reed Flute Leads are Clara Stewart and Rachel Reid, and our Trepak Leads are Luella Meizio and one of our Professional Guest Artists Ramon Gaiton.
Ramon has danced with Richmond Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dayton Ballet, Island Moving company, and Festival Ballet to name a few. He has toured Japan with Ballet Grand
Diva and performed in stage productions of with Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton Ohio, as well as Parallel 45. He performed most recently with Momenta in Oak Park IL, as well as multiple Nutcracker appearances with companies throughout the US. In addition to Lead Trepak, Ramon is also a Party Father and Drosselmeyer.
Justin Koertgen, DAA & CDT Faculty, is our Snow King, as well as Drosselmeyer and Clara’s Father (alternate casts). Justin spent twelve seasons dancing with Dayton Ballet, where highlights included the roles of “Dracula” in Dayton Ballet’s Dracula, “Laertes” in Stephen Mills’ Hamlet, “Romeo” in Septime Weber’s “Romeo & Juliet”, “The Cavalier“ in the Nutcracker, and the title role in Christopher Fleming’s “The Who’s Tommy”. Justin has also danced with Ballet Fleming in Philadelphia and Ballet Montana. He worked as the Ballet Master and the Rehearsal Assistant for the
Dayton Ballet and taught for the company and school for four years.
CDT/DAA Alumni Gus Baldyga, currently studying as a Dance Major at North Carolina School of the Arts, comes home to perform the Rat King Role, shared with CDT Senior, Marin Brayton (alternate casts). Callum Weber plays the roles of the Nutcracker Prince and Party Boy. “It has been such a treat to have these dancers in our rehearsals with our dancers”, said
Artistic Director Betsy Carr, “we are all savoring these moments together working on our 2024 Production.”
In addition to Directing the Party Scene and Battle Scene, DAA Faculty member Maria Drost (Marymount Manhattan Dance Program Graduate, and professional dancer and educator) is performing with Matt Drost as Clara’s Parents. DAA Faculty Tya Harrison (Dance Graduate of Brenau College, and professional dancer and educator) and Koertgen play Clara’s Parents in the opposite cast. In addition, many of our faculty are
performing as Party Moms, including Alyssa Baker, Roxanne Blumerick, Cortney Brown, and Judith Wonacott. We are thrilled that they are all such a special part of the magic.
DAA’s Nutcracker utilizes the choreography of current DAA Ballet Faculty Carley Klebba, Justin Koertgen, and Tera Garrow, as well as Company Guests Jenny Turner (currently on Faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet), and Alumn Ellie LaPointe (currently performing in Europe with RWS Company. In addition to Carr, Klebba, Drost, Harrison & Koertgen, Rehearsal Directors include DAA Faculty Alyssa Baker and Maddy Falconer. DAA Co-Owner Sue Buck has been instrumental in the costuming and production aspects of this Nutcracker. This is the 12th Nutcracker Production by Company Dance Traverse and Dance Arts Academy.
A majority of our older dancers are training 5-7 days a week. They have been accepted in and attended many elite level Summer Training Intensives with School of American Ballet (SAB) in NYC, American Ballet Theater (ABT) in NYC, Boston Ballet, Cincinatti Ballet, Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, among others. They have earned countless Scholarships to attend many workshops, and are serious, dedicated dancers working hard to provide a delightful and inspired performance. Buck says, “It is our goal to provide our dancers with all of the experiences and technique needed to go on as professionals in the dance world, and it is wonderful to have that happening here!”
We are thrilled with the progress and joy this Nutcracker Cast has brought into rehearsals! We are anticipating 6 delightful performances!
Tickets are still available, but going quickly at:
https://29469.danceticketing.com/r/3547/43022/
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Milliken Auditorium, Dennos Museum Center, E Front St, Traverse City, MI 49686, United States,Traverse City, Michigan
Tickets
