Connecticut Ballet Announces Guest Artists for "The Nutcracker"

Press release

CONNECTICUT BALLET ANNOUNCES WORLD-RENOWNED GUEST ARTISTS FOR STAMFORD AND HARTFORD ENGAGEMENTS OF THE NUTCRACKER

New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Pennsylvania Ballet Principal Dancers to Star at the Palace Theatre, Stamford December 16 & 17 and The Bushnell December 22 & 23

HARTFORD, CT…Connecticut Ballet, under the artistic direction of Brett Raphael, announced today seven acclaimed guest stars for the 2023 Stamford and Hartford engagements of its beloved holiday blockbuster, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. These distinguished principal dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Pennsylvania Ballet will star in the signature roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Her Cavalier.

These guest artists will participate in Meet and Greets in the lobby following each performance, are as follows:

Palace Theatre, Stamford Guest Stars

Saturday, December 16 at 2pm & 6pm
New York City Ballet principal dancers Unity Phelan & Chun Wai Chan*

Sunday, December 17 at 1pm & 5pm
Philadelphia Ballet principal dancers Oksana Maslova & Jack Thomas

The Bushnell, Hartford Guest Stars

Friday, December 22 at 7pm
New York City Ballet principal dancers Unity Phelan & Andrew Veyette

Saturday, December 23 at 1pm & 5pm
American Ballet Theatre principal dancers Christine Shevchenko & Aran Bell*

*Indicates Connecticut Ballet Debut

Tickets for the Stamford engagement at the Palace Theatre can be reserved by calling (203) 325-4466, by visiting PalaceStamford.org, or at the box office (61 Atlantic Street, Stamford) during normal business hours.Tickets for the Hartford engagement of Brett Raphael's Nutcracker at The Bushnell can be reserved by calling (860) 987-5900, by visiting Bushnell.org, or at the box office (166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford) during normal business hours.

Premiered in 1984, Connecticut Ballet’s The Nutcracker has become a staple for families across the state. With the production making its Hartford bow at The Bushnell, even more children of all ages can fall in love again with Tchaikovsky’s magical tale of young Clara and her Nutcracker Prince.

About the 2023 Nutcracker Guest Stars

Aran Bell (American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Connecticut Ballet Debut)
Aran Bell was born in Bethesda, Maryland. He began studying ballet at age four, receiving the majority of his early training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and with Denys Ganio in Rome, Italy. He continued his training with Fabrice Herrault in New York City and Magaly Suarez in Florida. He spent several summers at The Royal Ballet School in London, and at American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive in New York City. He has performed in galas throughout Europe and the United States and was featured in the 2011 film First Position: A Ballet Documentary. Bell joined American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in September 2014, joined the main Company as an apprentice in May 2016 and became a member of the corps de ballet in March 2017. He was promoted to Soloist in September 2019 and to Principal Dancer in September 2020.

Chun Wai Chen (New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Connecticut Ballet debut)
Born in Guangdong, China, Mr. Chan trained at the Guangzhou Art School from 2004 to 2010. In 2010 he was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne, which earned him a full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet’s second company, Houston Ballet II. In 2012 Chan joined Houston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet and he was promoted to principal dancer at HB in 2017. His repertory with Houston Ballet included leading roles in ballets by Stanton Welch, Ben Stevenson, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, John Cranko, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Edwaard Liang, Wayne McGregor, Trey McIntyre, and Justin Peck, among others. Mr. Chan joined NYCB as a soloist in August 2021, and in May 2022 was promoted to principal dancer.

Oksana Maslova (Philadelphia Ballet Principal Dancer)
Oksana went on to the Kiev Choreographic College, where she began performing with Kiev Youth Ballet. After graduating, Oksana became a student at the Institute of Culture and Arts, where she received her master’s degree as a choreographer and ballet master. Oksana was a member of Suziriya Dance Theater. In 2004, she became a member of the Odessa National Opera House, where she rose to the rank of soloist and performed a variety of principal roles. In 2008, she joined Grand Rapids Ballet as a principal dancer, performing their entire classical repertoire. And, in June 2011, she joined the Connecticut Ballet Company as a principal dancer, where she created the role of Alice in Brett Raphael’s Alice in Wonderland. Oksana joined Philadelphia Ballet as a soloist for the company's 2014/2015 Season.

Unity Phelan (New York City Ballet Principal Dancer)
Unity Phelan was born in Princeton, New Jersey and began her dance training at the age of five at the Princeton Ballet School, where her teachers included Douglas Martin, Maria Youskevitch, and Mary Barton. During the summers of 2008 and 2009, Ms. Phelan attended the summer sessions at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, and enrolled as a full-time student in fall of 2009.
She became an apprentice with NYCB in December 2012 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2013. In February 2017, Ms. Phelan was promoted to the rank of soloist, and in October 2021, she was promoted to principal dancer.

Christine Shevchenko (American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer)
Christine Shevchenko was born in Odessa, Ukraine where she was chosen to train in rhythmic gymnastics and ballet at an Olympic School. At the age of eight, she moved to the United States and trained for nine years at Pennsylvania Ballet’s Rock School, and was featured in the NBC special Degas and the Dance. In 2003, Shevchenko became the youngest recipient of the Princess Grace Award. Shevchenko joined American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in August 2006 where she performed classical and contemporary pieces. iShe joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in December 2007 and the corps de ballet in June 2008. She became a Soloist in 2014 and a Principal Dancer in September 2017.

Jack Thomas (Philadelphia Ballet Principal Dancer)
Jack Thomas began ballet studies at age five as a form of rehabilitation after breaking his leg in a skiing accident. He received his training at several studios throughout Colorado, supplementing that training with summer intensives at Jacob’s Pillow, Houston Ballet Academy, Carreno Dance Festival, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 2012, he joined the year-round training program at Houston Ballet Academy on a full scholarship, and, in 2015, competed as a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne. Jack danced with Houston Ballet’s second company (HB2), under Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch, Houston Ballet Academy Director Shelly Power, and HB2 Directors Claudio Munoz and Sabrina Lenzi. As a member of their second company, Jack traveled internationally and performed a diverse repertoire of works. Jack joined Philadelphia Ballet for their 2016/2017 Season as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to Soloist for the 2018/2019 Season.

Andrew Veyette (New York City Ballet Principal Dancer)
Andrew Veyette was born in Denver, Colorado, and began his dance training at the age of 9, studying with Betty Downs at Dance Arts in Visalia, California. Mr. Veyette continued his studies at Westside Ballet in Santa Monica, California. While at Westside Ballet, Mr. Veyette trained with Yvonne Mounsey and was personally coached by Nader Hamed. Mr. Veyette entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in the fall of 1998. In the spring of 2000, Mr. Veyette became an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and later that season he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In March of 2006 he was promoted to soloist. In May 2007 Mr. Veyette was promoted to principal dancer.

Special Nutcracker Preview at Wadsworth Atheneum's Holiday Social

On Wednesday, November 29 from 6pm to 9pm, the Wadsworth Atheneum in downtown Hartford hosts its Holiday Social. This festive evening celebrates the magic of the holidays with the opening of the historic museum's annual Festival of Trees & Traditions. Along with the opportunity to see the museum adorned with stunning seasonal decorations, guests will get to enjoy a preview performance of Connecticut Ballet's Nutcracker from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Eat, drink, and be merry in your ugly holiday sweater! End the night with a viewing of the film Love, Actually and leave with personalized winter holiday-themed ornaments and greeting cards. Must be 21+ to attend. Cash bar. $25; $15 members. Tickets will be available via thewadsworth.org.

Share the Magic Student Performance

With support from Travelers and an anonymous donor with Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Connecticut Ballet will once again offer its Share the Magic student performance on Thursday, December 21 from 10:15-11:30am at The Bushnell. This special event is suitable for grades K-8 with tickets available to all area public, private/parochial school groups at an underwritten price of $10/student. A free chaperone ticket is provided for each ten student tix purchased. All Share the Magic ticket reservations are handled directly by Connecticut Ballet. To reserve or inquire, please email ctballet@ix.netcom.com.

All performances are fully accessible for patrons with limited mobility. Discounted group rates of 20% off are available for parties of 15 or more. Normal ticketing surcharges apply. For more information, call Connecticut Ballet at (860) 293-1039, (203) 964-1211 or visit connecticutballet.org.