Getting Into the Spirit of the Holidays

Classical Ballet Theatre (CBT) shared some extra special holiday magic with this year’s presentation of The Nutcracker, performed at the beautiful 525-seat Ernst Theater in Annandale, VA. A sellout, the production featured beautiful choreography, stunning costumes, and some of the most highly trained pre-professional talent in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It also included several programs benefiting the greater community -- behind-the-scenes educational stations for Girl Scouts, a food drive in support of LINK, and some free tickets for military families stationed out of Ft. Belvoir. As one family noted, “Thank you so much for ... providing us tickets…. It was a special treat. This is the second year in a row my husband has been deployed and this, as my daughter said, helped us get into the Christmas spirit.”

Classical Ballet Theatre (CBT) students always enjoy supporting community families and groups while sharing their love of dance. Having trained at CBT since early childhood, Fairfax County sophomore Ashley Tern, who also participated in renowned summer intensives with the American Ballet Theatre, danced a stunning Sugar Plum Fairy, and freshman Camille Pukall captured the audience with her portrayal of Clara. As she explained, “As Clara, I am telling the whole story of the Nutcracker, and it is my job to make the audience truly believe and fall in love with my story and dream.” She accomplished this easily while connecting with the entranced audience members. They loved the magical choreography and the good-natured humor as well as the sense of joy and excitement that each CBT student brought to his/her role. Audience members and dancers alike were finding themselves filled with the spirit of the holidays.

Photo Credit: Katie and Tony de la Paz

#1: Camille Pukall as Clara arrives to the Kingdom of Snow with the Nutcracker Prince, portrayed by Gillmer Duran, CBT’s Ballet Master and Guest Artist in Residence.

#2:  A stunning Sugar Plum Fairy, Ashley Tern partners with Norbert Nirewicz, who has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Latin America, where he served as a Principal Dancer with Ballet Classico de Camara and Columbia City Ballet.

For more information about CBT and its winter performance in Reston and spring performance in Herndon, please visit http://www.cbtnva.org.