UHS Students Dance in “The Nutcracker”
Maeva O’Brien and Kajetan Hass will be dancing in this year’s production of “The Nutcracker” by Champaign Urbana Ballet. Showing times for the ballet are Thursday Dec. 5 through Sunday Dec. 8.
“The Nutcracker” is Tchaikovsky’s magical story of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince who are guided through a sequence of toys, heroes, villains and fairies in a dream by Clara’s godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer.
O’Brien will portray Mrs. Stahlbaum, the Rat Queen, the Rose Queen, a party mom, a Spanish dancer, and a flower throughout the performance. Hass is performing the parts of the Boy Doll, a captain, a herald, and ribbon candy.
O’Brien and Hass are two of 130 dancers from all over the area, some are as young as five. The production will feature dancers directed by Deanna Doty accompanied by Sinfonia da Camera and a 40-piece orchestra directed by Ian Hobson.
Every year over 250 “at risk” children attend a CU Ballet for free through the Tickets for Kids program.
The classic story of “The Nutcracker” will be shown at the Tryon Festival Theatre of the Krannert Center. To buy tickets for 18 to 38 dollars, go to KrannertCenter.com, call (217) 333-6280, or go to the ticket office. The ticket office is open everyday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m..
The production was sponsored by CarX Tire and Auto, the Campaign Ballet Academy, the Champaign Telephone Company, Christie Clinic Department of Podiatry, and Midland States Bank.
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