EASTON, Pa. — Relevé to the right, Sugar Plum Fairy!
When the "Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet" comes to town, a handful of local ballet dancers will take the stage, alongside their professional counterparts — and a cyr wheel.
The performance will take place at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29 at the State Theatre.
Tickets start at $33.
Scouting local talent
Starring in the show are local ballerinas, ages six to 18, who auditioned for their respective roles in October.
The auditions were held at the Pennsylvania Classic Ballet Academy in Northampton, where most of the company's dancers train.
The dancers — who will be featured in small parts — have trained for an average of 12 hours over six to eight weeks with artistic directors from Talmi Entertainment, creators of "Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet."
In a separate spread, the Pennsylvania Classic Dance Academy will also host its own production of the "Nutcracker" at the Roxy Theatre on Dec. 8 - Dec. 10.
Talmi Entertainment is now in its 31st year of producing the modern rendition of the Christmastime staple.
Each year, they enlist the help of young ballerinas in cities such as Abilene Texas, Albany, New York and Atlanta, Georgia, to star in the production as part of its Dance With Us program.
All skill levels are invited to participate in the Nutcracker and are typically cast as "party children" mice, snowflakes and snowmaidens.
A modern twist
The 2023 "Nutcracker" production includes international talent like Karyna Shatkovskaya and Elena Pechenyuk as Clara, both from Ukraine, as well as dancers from Turkey, Japan, Italy and Cuba.
Additionally, there is new choreography to includes circus-like techniques and a cyr wheel dancer.
"The international scale of the production is truly unique. With artistic direction from the birthplace of classical ballet in Kyiv, Ukraine to rising ballet capitals around the world we have built a world-class team,” Dan Talmi, Executive Producer of Talmi Entertainment and the son of co-founders Mary Giannone and Akiva Talmi, said.
“There is a sense of pride and responsibility when it comes to this show. It has become a holiday tradition in households across the country and our team works year-round to give audiences the best of everything — the best talent, production value, costumes — you name it.”
For info, click here.
