Ballet Yuma presents 'The Nutcracker'
In addition to the talented students of Ballet Yuma artistically directed by Kathleen Sinclair and Jon Cristofori, six guest artists will perform in the weekend production of "The Nutcracker."
The traditional Christmas ballet will be presented at Snider Auditorium, 400 S. 6th Ave., at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10, $15, and $20, available at Dillard's in the Yuma Palms Regional Center.
Crystal Brothers, in her 12th year with Ballet Memphis, returns to dance as the Sugar Plum Fairy, a repeat of her 2006 role. Brothers is from Yuma, and received her training from Sinclair and Cristofori. She has danced in numerous title roles in a variety of productions, and is a certified Pilates instructor.
Another Ballet Memphis performer, Jonathan Powell, will be the Cavalier in the Ballet Yuma Nutcracker.
Powell studied with Joffrey Ballet School and the San Francisco Ballet School. He is from Irvine, Calif., and has been with Ballet Memphis since 2003.
Additional guest artists are from the San Diego Ballet.
Abby Avery will dance as the Snow Queen. She started dancing in Overland Park, Kan., entered her professional career in Fresno, Calif., and is in her third year with the San Diego group.
Pat Udvarhelyi will be the Snow King. Originally from Hungary, he also studied in England before joining the Hungarian National Ballet, and later, the Carolina Ballet. He has been with the San Diego Ballet since 2004. He was a guest artist with Creation Ballet in Japan in 2006.
The Arabian dance roles will be performed by M. Ted Blevins and Rachel Sebastian. Blevins has been with the SDB since 2000. In San Diego he also danced ballet, jazz and modern works. Earlier dancing was with Ballet Arkansas.
Sebastian's career began at the Black Mountain Dance Theatre, then the Houston Ballet Academy and after being with SDB for 11 years, is now co-director and an award-winning choreographer.
Ballet Yuma's students are five years old and up. The role of Clara, the little girl with dreams of a Nutcracker Prince (Michael Molina), will be shared by Carina Gresham and Tiffany Jones.
The younger dancers will be angels, butterflies, little mice, soldiers, bon-bons, flowers and lambs. They are from Yuma Ballet Academy, the training school for Ballet Yuma.
The Nutcracker is sponsored by Misenhimer, Aivazian and Tennant, P.C.
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Pam M. Smith can be reached at psmith@yumasun.com or 539-6856.
