Weston Dancers Perform in Sunday's Nutcracker Ballet

The Nutcracker is all about magic: Holiday magic, dance magic, the magic of imagination, and most of all the magic of believing anything is possible. On December 6th all that magic comes to life as the Wilton Dance Studio presents its annual Nutcracker Ballet.

Now in its 18th year, this full-scale production features more than 80 students and adults from seven area towns including more than eight from Weston. Weston High School senior Lily Harwood dances the leading roles of Sugar Plum Fairy this year. The ballet will be performed on Sunday, December 6 at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton High School’s Clune Center for the Performing Arts.

Contributing extra magic to this year’s production are several dancers with special stories behind their performances. The first of these is Will Northrup, a 19-year-old developmentally challenged young man from Onsted, MI. Brenda Froehlich, a Wilton native and artistic director of the studio that has been in Wilton for 26 years, explained how Will came to be part of the ballet this year. Froehlich said, “Will is friend of a friend who learned we produce our own Nutcracker ever year. He begged his mom to get him a copy of our Nutcracker DVD. Upon receiving the copy, he watched it endlessly. When we learned of his complete and utter fascination with the ballet, we extended him an invitation to come to Connecticut to share the onstage magic that is The Nutcracker. He has been practicing the adult dances with his Michigan teacher using the DVD as their guide for the choreography, and will join our rehearsals in person the week before the show. We are delighted to help fulfill one of Will’s dancing dreams.”

Harwood said of this year’s show and her leading role as the Sugar Plum Fairy: “Sugar Plum by far is the most special role for me as I have wanted to be this role since I was very small, probably about 5 years old. I have always dreamed of wearing a sparkly, pink tutu and exhibiting exquisite beauty and grace when I dance; Sugar Plum has allowed m to do all of these things. Being told I was going to be Sugar Plum Fairy this upcoming Nutcracker will also be an amazing feeling and memory for the rest of my life.”

Harwood continued: “This year’s show will be very meaningful as it will be my last, a bittersweet farewell to the girls I have danced with all my life and who have seen me at my highest and lowest moments. But every Nutcracker performance is unique and meaningful to me because of the magic behind the story and the elegance each role/ballerina brings to the stage.”

Wilton Dance Studio is also excited about the return of Peter Nevin in the role of the Nutcracker Prince. Peter joined Wilton Dance Studio’s teaching staff for ballet in the fall of 2014, and was a guest dancer in the Nutcracker Prince role for the studio in 2007 and 2008. Nevin began his training and performing career in 1985 with the Westchester Ballet Company. He first performed as a guest dancer for the Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre (WFBT) in 1992 and joined the company as a principal soloist in 1994. Peter also danced principal roles in Harem Scarum, Hi-Tek Aztec, and Tapestry, which were designed for him by choreographer Ron Cunningham of the Sacramento Ballet Company.

Wilton Dance Studio’s Nutcracker shares the magic of dance in a way that appeals to audiences of all ages. The performance length is manageable for young children, and they are welcome. The ballet follows the traditional story of Clara and her Nutcracker prince from E.T.A. Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, with music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Professional sets and elegant costumes complete the high-quality production.

The Wilton Dance Studio production of The Nutcracker will be on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 1 and 4:30 p.m. at Wilton High School’s Clune Performing Arts Center. To buy tickets, call 203-544-9007 and leave a message or order at www.wiltondance.com, click on “Nutcracker Performances” download & print the ticket order form. Tickets are also available at the door on the day of the show.

Photo: Weston High School Senior Lily Harwood as Sugar Plum Fairy

Photo 1: Weston Dancers in the 2015 Production

Front Row (L to R): Inaaya Jacobsen, age 8 in her 3rd year of ballet studies at WDS & Emily Kolodney, age 9 first year at WDS

Back row (L to R): Sarah Wohlford, twin of Kaitlin, age 10 in her 6th year of ballet studies at WDS, Jane Smith, age 10 in her 5th year of ballet studies at WDS & Kaitlin Wohlford, age 10 in her 6th year of ballet studies