Dancers from Franklin to Perform in Nashville’s Nutcracker

Nashville Ballet has selected 39 dancers from Franklin to perform in the youth cast for Nashville’s Nutcracker: Celebrating 10 Years! December 2-23, 2017, at TPAC’s Jackson Hall. This year’s youth cast marks the organization’s largest to date, with 296 dancers from School of Nashville Ballet and the community at large performing alongside Nashville Ballet and the Nashville Symphony in the local holiday favorite.

Nashville’s Nutcracker will feature the following young dancers from Franklin:

• Lily Barker, child of Lara and Nate, as a Baby Mouse
• Gracie Bechtel, child of Meredith and Craig, as a Native American Soldier
• Molly Boehme, child of Jill and Eric, as a Lamb
• Caitlin Burbage, child of Christa and Tim, as a Russian Nesting Doll
• Catherine Carlisle, child of Anissa Nelson-Carslisle and Charlie Carslisle, as a Party Girl
• Rachel Chappell, child of Traci and Steve, as a Frontier Soldier
• Angelina Chen, child of Sventlana Hanzyy and Sydney Chen, as a Native American Soldier
• Cecilia Cioffi, child of Cindy and Lou, as a Bon Bon
• Corrine Cioffi, child of Cindy and Lou, as a Baby Mouse
• Jade Collins, child of Sharon and Jimmy, as a Garden Fairy
• Mary Hinson Crunk, child of Cathleen and Jason, as a Garden Fairy
• Henry Cruz, child of Janet, as an Infantry Soldier
• Teddy Cruz, child of Janet, as a Party Boy
• Lydia Cutcher, child of Lucinda and Scott, as a Native American Soldier
• Teddy Dykhouse, child of Rachel Lighton, as a Party Boy
• London Ferre, child of Melissa and Rob, as a Bon Bon
• Anna Caroline Henry, child of Ashley and Tim, as a Lamb
• Kaylee Hollis, child of Tracy and Larry, as a Lamb
• Charlotte Hoving, child of Maura and Chuck, as a Garden Fairy
• Gregori Humphreys, child of Tijana and Bryan, as a Bon Bon
• Charlee Kiser, child of Aislynn and Marcus, as a Baby Mouse
• Isabella Lake, child of Suzanne and Gerry, as a Medium Mouse
• Elle Lucas, child of Dionne and Kevin, as a Russian Nesting Doll
• Natalie Mallal, child of Elizabeth Phillips and Simon Mallal, as a Medium Mouse
• Kamdyn Mildenhall, child of Bree and Robert, as a Russian Nesting Doll
• Sydney Moran, child of Laura and Thomas, as a Party Girl
• Eva Muterspaugh, child of Anel and Matthew, as a Medium Mouse
• Emma Naumovski, child of Megan and Risto, as a Bon Bon
• Ella Peck, child of Marnie and James, as a Garden Fairy
• Sammy Portillo as an Infantry Soldier
• Gabriele Redding, child of Nikki Schmidt and Chris Redding, as a Baby Mouse
• Isabel Rothenberg, child of Trish and Jed, as a Garden Fairy
• Sophia Rothenberg, child of Trish and Jed, as a Party Girl
• Emma Scott Smith, child of Scotti and Buddy, as a Garden Fairy
• Madison Swift, child of Katie and Brendan, as a Bon Bon
• Elizabeth Thomson, child of Amy and Peggy, as a Frontier Soldier
• Molly Weir, child of Jean Marie and Declan, as a Bon Bon
• Emma Whitley, child of Eeiron and Eric, as a Lamb
• Maddi Rae Wilson, child of Caitlyn and Marshall, as a Dancing Bear Cavalry member

This year’s Nashville’s Nutcracker youth cast members were selected from community-wide, open auditions. Members of the youth cast come from 14 counties throughout Middle Tennessee and Kentucky, including, Cheatham, Christian, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb, Hopkins, Humphreys, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson. They will perform alongside all 54 members of Nashville Ballet’s professional dance company and second company and 60 members of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony performing Tchaikovsky’s celebrated score.

“We’ve had more than 1,000 young dancers in the Nashville’s Nutcracker youth cast since the production’s debut 10 years ago,” Nashville Ballet Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling said. “The size of the youth cast has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, so this year we’re debuting a brand-new role, the Dancing Bear Cavalry, which allows us to welcome even more young dancers on stage.”

In addition to the debut of the new youth cast role, Nashville Ballet is celebrating 10 years of Nashville’s Nutcracker with more all-new elements—including snow falling on the audience during the iconic snow scene. Nashville Ballet premiered The Nutcracker in 1989, but the production was reinvented as Nashville’s Nutcracker in 2008 with a unique concept incorporating Nashville’s vibrant past along with new choreography, sets, costumes and on-stage magic tricks. Since then, Vasterling’s original spin on the classic has cemented its place as one of Music City’s most beloved holiday traditions.

Beginning at the 1897 Centennial Exposition in Nashville, Clara and her Uncle Drosselmeyer meet a colorful cast of characters from faraway lands. When Uncle Drosselmeyer gifts Clara with a wooden Nutcracker on Christmas Eve, the toy magically transforms to life as a handsome prince and leads her through a remarkable adventure. Clara visits everyone from the Snow Queen to the Sugar Plum Fairy, including the spellbinding characters she met at the Exposition. When Clara finally returns home, the audience is left to decide if it was all just a dream—or not.

Nashville’s Nutcracker is presented by 21c Museum Hotel Nashville, Google Fiber and RJ Young. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased in person at the TPAC box office in downtown Nashville, by phone at (615) 782-4040 or at NashvilleBallet.com. A complete performance schedule and more information can be found at NashvilleBallet.com/Nashvilles-Nutcracker-2017.

About Nashville Ballet
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 70,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries and public elementary, middle and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students age 2 to 70.

Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional and national institutional funders and community partners, as well as hundreds of generous individuals, provide ongoing support of Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.