17 Half Hollow Hills Students Perform in Long Island's Largest Nutcracker Ballet Dec 18 to 20 at Hofstra

Half Hollow Hills Ballet Students Featured in Long Island’s Largest Production of Holiday Classic

“The Nutcracker”

Six Performances December 18, 19 and 20 At Hofstra University’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse

The New York Dance Theatre’s 34th season of the holiday ballet “The Nutcracker,” performed December 18 through 20 at Hofstra University’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse, will feature 17 students from the Half Hollow Hills school district in this year’s production. Students from Otsego, Paumanok, Signal Hill and Vanderbilt Elementary Schools; West Hollow and Candlewood Middle Schools; and High School East and West will perform. The children are all students at the Frank Ohman School of Ballet in Commack, a division of the New York Dance Theatre. Anna Tang, a student at Vanderbilt Elementary School, will perform the lead role of “Fritz,” who sets the ballet’s famous story in motion by breaking the Nutcracker doll during the holiday party scene. High School West junior Alana Papa performs the principal role of the “Snow Queen,” as theatrical magic brings a snowstorm to the Hofstra stage. Other children’s roles performed by Half Hollow Hills residents include party guests, mice, toy soldiers, angels and confections that come to life in the Land of Sweets. In all, a cast of 80 children, pre-professional and professional dancers will bring this classic family-friendly ballet to life.

The New York Dance Theatre’s production is the largest Nutcracker on Long Island with added music, scenes, and dances and is the only one performed in the tradition of New York City Ballet’s Lincoln Center version. Performances are Friday, December 18 at 2 pm and 7 pm; Saturday, December 19 at noon and 5 pm; and Sunday, December 20 at noon and 5 pm. For tickets and additional information: www.ohmanballet.org or 631.462.0964. Tickets for the Friday 2 pm show are available at half-price.

About Frank Ohman

Frank Ohman is an internationally known dance professional. His critically acclaimed ballet career began with the San Francisco Ballet in 1959 and in 1962 he joined the New York City Ballet where he was a soloist for twenty-two years. During his distinguished performing career, Mr. Ohman appeared in leading and soloist roles in ballets of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Frederic Ashton, Antony Tudor, David Lichine, John Taras, and Jacques d’Amboise. He partnered many of the world’s leading ballerinas including Maria Tallchief, Marjorie Tallchief, Melissa Hayden, Suzanne Farrell, Allegra Kent, Patricia McBride, Gelsey Kirkland, Cynthia Gregory, Carol Sumner, Kay Mazzo, and Suki Schorer. He has appeared with the New York City Ballet at the New York State Theater, Kennedy Center, Marinsky Theater, Bolshoi Theater, the White House, and Jacob’s Pillow.

Mr. Ohman has been a prolific choreographer, creating over two hundred original ballets, many of which have been performed by his New York Dance Theatre. He has choreographed for the Boston Ballet, Edmonton Ballet, Syracuse Ballet (where he was director), the Cassandra Ballet of Toledo, the Long Island Philharmonic, the Long Island Lyric Opera, the School of American Ballet workshop performance, American Movie Classics, the PAF Playhouse, the Adirondack’s Long Lake Performing Arts Camp, and Indiana University. He assisted in the re-staging of Balanchine’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” for the 1981 revival of “On Your Toes” and the 1986 New York City Ballet revival.

Mr. Ohman is currently directing his talents towards teaching, choreography and artistic direction. He has been a guest teacher at the Boston Ballet, the School of American Ballet, the St. Louis Ballet, and the National Dance Institute. In 2004, he was invited to be the guest Ballet Master of the Ballet Philippines where he spent three weeks sharing his knowledge and teaching the company in the style of George Balanchine.

When not teaching at the Ohman School of Ballet, guest teaching, choreographing or directing, Mr. Ohman enjoys painting and sculpting.

About the Frank Ohman School of Ballet

The Frank Ohman School of Ballet was founded in 1979 by Frank Ohman, former soloist at New York City Ballet (NYCB) and one of the few remaining direct links to the teaching of George Balanchine. Located in Commack, the school serves as a training ground for promising young dancers and offers aspiring students the opportunity to learn classical ballet in the tradition of George Balanchine. The school is a non-competition, non-recital school, focusing on proper classical ballet technique. A division of the New York Dance Theatre, Inc., the Ohman School has become an integral part of the company, and is one of the very few not-for-profit ballet schools in the region. It offers three studios with state-of-the art flooring to Balanchine specifications and a highly qualified teaching staff headed up by artistic director Frank Ohman.

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