Peninsula Youth Ballet Presents Dazzling Performances of “The Nutcracker”

The Peninsula Youth Ballet (PYB) will present the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker,” with performances held on November 26th and 27th at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center at 600 North Delaware Street in San Mateo.

The Nutcracker is a fairytale ballet composed in 1891-1892 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Marius Petipa choreographed the first ballet based on Alexandre Dumas’ adaptation of the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The first performance was held in December 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since then, the Nutcracker ballet became a Christmas tradition and one of the most popular ballets of all time. Its universal appeal has been attributed to the popularity of its timeless characters and its beautifully intricate choreography, costumes, and set design.

“For nearly 20 years, I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of professional and amateur dancers,” said Ayako Takahashi, PYB’s Founder and Artistic Director. “I am always amazed at the immense talent here on the Peninsula. These performers come alive on stage and use their talents to keep audiences enthralled year after year.”

This year’s performance will feature an amazing list of dancers: 13 year old Veronica Yang and 13 year old Amanda Wang will feature as Little Clara; 17 year old Anna Zheng as Big Clara and 14 year old Alyssa-Marie Muna as the Snow Queen. A new guest dancer, the talented Junna Ige from the Silicon Valley Ballet, will also hit the stage this year as the Sugar Plum Fairy as well as Michael Lowe of Menlowe Ballet as Drosselmeyer.

According to PYB President Frankie Briones, “I believe our rendition of the performance is so successful because of Ayako Takahashi’s amazing ability to choreograph all her dancers in a way that brings out their abilities and strengths as dancers. She mixes professional dancers with members of the PYB, fine tuning each scene in order to provide the audience with a captivating experience.”

Performances will take place on November 26th at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm, and November 27th at 2:00 pm. Shortly after each of the 2:00 pm performances, children will be able to meet the characters from the “Sugar Plum Kingdom” at “Clara’s Tea Party,” which includes cookies, punch, a photo with a favorite character and a surprise gift.

Who: The Peninsula Youth Ballet
What: “The Nutcracker”
Where: San Mateo Performing Arts Center
600 N. Delaware St.
San Mateo, CA 94401
When: November 26th at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
November 27th at 2:00 pm
Ticket Prices: Range from $22.50 to $45.00
Clara’s Tea Party: $10.00 per person
November 26th and 27th at 4:45 pm
Discounts available for groups
Info and Tickets: Online at www.pyb.org or call 650-631-3767