Three national-level dancers return home for 'The Nutcracker'

  Three national-level dancers from the world of ballet are coming home to Yuma this week to help bring a true holiday tradition into the hearts of Yumans.

  The dancers are all starring in a production of "The Nutcracker." It's a beloved tradition in its 15th year at Ballet Yuma, one made even more special with such familiar - and successful - faces in the cast.

  "Three of our four guest stars are Yuma natives, which I think is really special for our community," said Kathleen Sinclair, artistic director at Ballet Yuma. "These are some very successful dancers."

  Ballet Yuma's performances of "The Nutcracker" Friday through Sunday will feature Crystal Brothers, Grant Spencer and Annali Rose. All three began dancing as youngsters in Yuma and now dance with national-level companies. A fourth guest star will be Jonathan Powell.

  The performances are set for Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The venue will be Snider Auditorium, 400 S. 6th Ave.

  Adult seats are $12, $17 or $22, with a $4 discount on the adult prices for children 12 and under. Tickets will be sold at the door and are available in advance at Dillard's.

  The performances will be directed by Sinclair and co-artistic director Jon Cristofori.

  "I would like to encourage people to come and support quality dance in Yuma, come support the arts," Sinclair said. "I would tell people to come see that talent that is right now and the talent of tomorrow because it's all included in these performances."

  Sinclair speaks warmly when talking about "The Nutcracker." That's because she has a long history with the ballet. She and Cristofori have been producing the show for 15 years through Ballet Yuma, but adding on years that they worked with another local studio, their time with "The Nutcracker" actually amounts to 26 years.

  "This is something we look forward to every year. Like everyone else looks forward to Christmas, we look forward to 'Nutcracker,'" she said.

  The production this year is extra special because, after years of sticking to their own traditional choreography, Cristofori has made some major changes.

  "This year Jon decided to rechoreograph the fight scene, which is really exciting for us and a major undertaking," Sinclair said. "He added in a lot more dancers, which has been challenging, but it looks really nice."

  This year's production will feature 100 dancers and actors. They will be dancers from Ballet Yuma and Yuma Ballet Academy, plus adult actors from the community.

  Crystal Brothers will be dancing as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Brothers has danced with Boston Ballet and currently works with Memphis Ballet. She was named by Pointe magazine one of the top eight dancers to watch in the world.

  Grant Spencer, a founding member of Ballet Yuma, will be dancing as the Snow King. He has danced with Ballet Sacramento and toured the world with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. With the latter group, he toured Japan, Australia, Italy, France, England, Thailand and China. In Russia, he performed at the Bolshoi.

  Annali Rose also danced with Sacramento Ballet and is currently a dancer with the Trey McIntyre Project in its inaugural season.

  Jonathan Powell also dances with the Trey McIntyre Project.

  For more information, go to www.BalletYuma.org or call the business office at 345-1534.

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Darin Fenger can be reached at
dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.