Students chosen for performances with Nashville Ballet during December
Brentwood Home Page news reports
Nashville Ballet has selected 25 young dancers from Brentwood and surrounding neighborhoods to perform as part of the youth cast in its annual presentation of Nashville’s Nutcracker Dec. 9-18 at TPAC’s Jackson Hall in downtown Nashville.

These young dancers have achieved an amazing accomplishment by being selected to perform in Nashville Ballet’s version of the Christmas classic.

“Dancing in a version of the Nutcracker is the first professional performance experience for most dancers, so our goal is to extend that opportunity to as many aspiring dancers as possible,” said Sharyn Mahoney, director of the Nashville Ballet’s artistic operations.

“Even those who have been dancing for years remember the excitement of their first Nutcracker performance.”

Nashville’s Nutcracker will feature the following Brentwood dancers in their respective roles:

Ana Antic as a lamb;

Ally Barca as a lamb;

Monica Bashir as a garden fairy;

Corinne Brockway as a party girl;

Mia Campbell as a member of Andrew Jackson’s cavalry;

Lillian Dasal as a garden fairy;

Catherine Forbes as a garden fairy;

Riley Graves as a mouse;

Amber Huggett as a lamb;

Meagan Irby as a bon bon;

SoYeon Jeong as a frontier soldier;

Ruby Ketchum as a Russian doll;

Yazmyn Lewis as a Russian doll;

Anastasia Logozar as a lamb;

Joy  Looney as a party girl;

Kami Miller as a bon bon;

Nikunta Piyaket as a garden fairy;

Sarah Rosenthal as a Russian doll;

Madison Schraw as a member of Andrew Jackson’s cavalry;

Marlee Scott as a mouse;

Jasmine Smith as a party girl;

Shelby Thayer as a Russian doll;

Hannah Trauscht as a mouse;

Isabel Webb as a Russian doll; and

Esabella Wilde as a bon bon.

 he 150 youth cast members performing in Nashville’s Nutcracker were selected from community-wide open auditions of young people from the School of Nashville Ballet and other schools of dance throughout Tennessee.

Members of the youth cast come from 11 Middle Tennessee counties, including Davidson, Sumner, Wilson, Rutherford, Bedford, Maury, Williamson, Dickson, Cheatham, Montgomery and Robertson, as well as Kentucky.

They will perform alongside 22 members of Nashville Ballet’s professional company and 25 members of its second company in this local version of the holiday classic.

“This version of the traditional holiday story celebrates Nashville’s rich history and personality, complete with characters inspired by well-known local residents,” said Paul Vasterling, artistic director and CEO of Nashville Ballet. “It incorporates President Andrew Jackson, former Vanderbilt University Chancellor James Kirkland and Nashville actress Lucille La Verne, who provided the voice of the witch in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Two casts of young dancers will alternate performances to tell the story of young Clara’s magical journey, which starts at the 1897 Centennial Exposition in Nashville where she meets an exotic cast of characters from far-away lands displaying their native wares. It is there that her magical Uncle Drosselmeyer promises her a very special gift — a wooden Nutcracker.

After Clara receives her special gift, she falls asleep and the Nutcracker comes to life to guide her through a fantastic dream. They visit a series of magical worlds and encounter an array of diverse characters she previously saw at the Centennial Exposition, in addition to the Snow Queen and King and the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.

Vasterling’s updated version of the annual tradition debuted with original concept and choreography as Nashville’s Nutcracker in 2008.

Nashville’s Nutcracker will be held at TPAC’s Jackson Hall for 10 performances:

Friday, December 9 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Friday, December 16 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 17 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Ticket holders are invited to attend a storytime event 30 minutes before the performance that will help them understand the ballet. Get a list of exciting and important details to look for during the performance and learn a little about the history of the ballet that is unique to Nashville and the holiday season.

Season tickets for Nashville Ballet’s 2011-2012 performance season are on sale at http://www.nashvilleballet.com/. For season ticket information, contact Heather Cramsie at (615) 297-2966 x23. Groups of 10 or more can receive a discount by calling (615) 297-2966 x10.

Pictured, from left, back row: Jasmine Smith, Joy Looney, Corinne Brockway, Kami Miller, Meagan Irby, Esabella Wilde; next row: Ana Antic, Catherine Forbes, Shelby Thayer, Amber Huggett, Monica Bashir; kneeling: Marlee Scott, Hannah Trauscht, Anastasia Logozar, Ally Barca; sitting: Mia Campbell, Madison Schraw, Lillian Dasal, Yasmyn Lewis.