Hometown Performers in Connecticut Concert Ballet's "The Nutcracker"

Thirty-seven dancers from Manchester will be performing in Connecticut Concert Ballet’s newly revised The Nutcracker. This year's version is inspired by the perseverance that leads to dreams coming true, which is being experienced by young dancers in the studio, and beyond.

Also new this year are family-friendly times for the performances at noon and 4 p.m. Shows will be performed Saturday and Sunday, December 10th and December 11th, at the Bailey Auditorium at Manchester High School, 134 Middle Turnpike East, Manchester.

Advance Prices: Preferred Front & Center Seats $35; General Admission: Adult $25, Child/Student/Senior $15. Tickets are available at ConnecticutNutcracker.com and will be $38, $28, $18 at the door. Call 860-418-7294 for show information.

The local residents in the cast are Eva Andrews, Isabella Baez, Leanne Baldwin, Sara Baldwin, Stefaniya Barbieri, Alice Brewer, Anna Christopher, Natalie Christopher, London Cuevas, Savannah Dreher, Aislinn Gara Grady, Chloe Hwang, Kaylee Hwang, Dakota Jusem-LaPorte, Alina Kaiser, Tricia Kearney, Trinity Lach, Mary LaMonica, Penny Leitao, Addyson Lineburg, Madisyn Mack, Natalie Malinowski, Isabella Mendoza, Juliana Mendoza, Amelia Miller, Avery Norris, Lan Phung, Alejandra Piotrowski, Julia Puzio, Lilly Puzio, Kayla Sandoval, Harper Shirley, Sarah Silberberg, Mira Stebe, Maricel Thongmanivong, Caitlyn Tran and Lydia Whelton.

CCB's Nutcracker has been a Hartford area holiday tradition for over 40 years. This year's production has several plot twists and a new premise. Holiday dreams really do come true and are more lifelike than ever. Still featured are a giant Christmas tree that grows before your eyes, valiant toy soldiers, twirling snowflakes, waltzing flowers, and visions of sugarplums.

Professionally staged in a state of the art facility with full costumes and lighting, this production will highlight 230 of Connecticut Concert Ballet's talented students alongside professional guest artists from Festival Ballet Providence, David DuBois and Kristy DuBois as the Nutcracker and Sugar Plum Fairy. Artistic Directors are David Lawrence and Wendy Fish-Lawrence.

Of the local dancers, Leanne Baldwin, Sara Baldwin and Maricel Thongmanivong were selected from over 200 dancers and won multiple lead roles when auditions were held in September.

Leanne is a home-schooled 12th grader dancing in her fourteenth Nutcracker. This summer she attended three intensive ballet programs; at Burklyn Ballet Theatre, DancEnlight, and Hartt's "From Studio to Stage" program. She will be performing as Snow Queen, an Arabian Soloist and as a Rosebud in the Waltz of the Flowers.

Sara is a home-schooled 11th grader. This summer she attended intensive ballet programs at Burklyn Ballet Theatre and DancEnlight both on scholarship. She will be performing as a Spanish Lead and an Arabian Demi-soloist. As an Ensemble member of CCB’s pre-professional program, Sara will also portray a Rat in the Battle scene.

Maricel is a National Honors Society junior at Manchester High School. Her favorite role was the time she got to dance as Clara. She says, "What I enjoy most about ballet is that we are trained to become someone great as a dancer, but are surrounded with an amazing environment while doing so." Maricel will be performing as a Chinese Soloist and a Lead Snowflake.

Guest Artists information:

David DuBois (Nutcracker) trained at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg Florida and the Boston Conservatory. He was a 1st place finisher in the Youth America Grand Prix. David has been a company member with Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theater, the Island Moving Company and the American Repertory Ballet and has been a principal guest artist at Connecticut Concert Ballet, Spindle City Ballet, and the Patrick Notaro Dance Project. David is currently a company member with Festival Ballet Providence.

Kristy DuBois (Sugar Plum Fairy) is a graduate of the Ailey School/Fordham University joint BFA program. Kristy has been a member of the Richmond Ballet, Island Moving Company, the Patrick Notaro Dance Project, and Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and has been a frequent guest artist with the Spindle City Ballet. In 2011, she was named a finalist in the Sibiu International Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition in Sibiu, Romania. Kristy is currently a company member with Festival Ballet Providence.

Connecticut Concert Ballet is a semi-professional 501(c)(3) classical ballet school and performing arts organization with studios in Manchester on the Glastonbury line and in Windsor in the Great Hall at Grace Church. For information please visit ctconcertballet.org, call 860-643-4796 or visit us at facebook.com/connecticutconcertballet. CCB is a multi-year winner of “Best Dance Lessons” and CCB's Nutcracker was 2015 runner up for "Local Annual Event" in Hartford Magazine's “Best of” readers’ poll. For more information about Festival Ballet Providence, visit FestivalBallet.com

Proceeds from the annual Nutcracker show fund the not for profit school year round, keeping the tuition and total cost for its students the lowest in the area.