Chesapeake Ballet Company Kicks Off 2016 Ballet Season

After 11 years, the Chesapeake Ballet Company (CBC) knows a little bit about what it takes to get through a Ballet season – mix one-part volunteer sweat equity with five parts of youth dancers willing to give up every single Saturday to prepare for the company’s two yearly productions and, voila. After jumping into the 2016 season with rehearsals, September 10, the dancers are only a week away from its annual production of The Nutcracker.

“The average age of the dancers in our productions is thirteen and yet many of these dancers have been dancing for more than half their lives. So we’re dedicated to providing them a very public outlet to showcase the hard work and dedication they pour into their art,” says Barbara Haskell, Executive Director and CBC Founder. “They’ve spent the last three and a half months in day-long weekend rehearsals all to put on the best eleven performances they can in December.”

Under the artistic direction of Dmitri Malikov, the 80-member cast consists of Ballet dancers ranging in age from seven to 18. Soloists include:

Hailey Stinchcomb, Age 13- Indian Creek School, as Clara

Amanda Griggs, Senior - Northeast High School, as Snow Queen

Regan Baker, Senior - Kent Island High School, as Dew Drop

Lyndsay Brooks, Senior - Southern High School, as a soloist in Waltz of the Flowers

Lauren Corfman, Senior - Mount de Sales Academy, as the Spanish soloist.

In line with the growing diversity of Ballet, the production will also feature, for the first time, both an African American and a male dancing the role of Harlequin – respectively, Alyssa Hyman and Brooks White, both age 12.

Performances, held at the Children's Theatre of Annapolis located on 1661 Bay Head Road, Annapolis Maryland, will run two weekends starting December 10. Local Girl and Boy Scout troops can earn a patch by attending the special Scout Show, December 16 at 7 p.m.

For information on attending the special Scout performance, contact 410- 924-4358. More detail on all show times and ticket pricing are available at www.chesapeakeballetcompany.ticketleap.com.

Founded in 2004, the Chesapeake Ballet Company is a community-based organization dedicated to nurturing and inspiring the artistic development of children and young adults aged 6-18 through participation in all aspects of the theatrical experience. They're housed in the studios of The Dance Academy in Severna Park and produce a traditional Nutcracker every winter, followed by a spring selection from its repertoire. Past spring performances have included Cinderella, Coppelia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Snow Queen, and Sleeping Beauty. Company members are from dance studios and Ballet schools located throughout Anne Arundel County and parts of the Eastern Shore.