For 38 years, audiences have thrilled to Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s annual lavish production of The Nutcracker.
From the moment the lights dim, Westside Ballet’s The Nutcracker transports audiences to a magical world filled with peppermint candy and dancing snowflakes, set to Tchaikovsky’s majestic score. It’s the traditional full-length ballet, from the Victorian-style party scene to the glittering Sugar Plum Fairy.
Overseeing the production as Artistic Director is Yvonne Mounsey, founder of Westside Ballet of Santa Monica and former principal dancer with New York City Ballet under George Balanchine. During Ms. Mounsey’s distinguished career with New York City Ballet, she created the role of Center Spanish in Balanchine’s original production of The Nutcracker.
Westside Ballet of Santa Monica draws its company from the affiliated Westside Ballet School, customarily considered the premier ballet school in Los Angeles. Students have gone on to distinguished careers with the country’s top ballet companies.
This year’s Nutcracker features Westside Ballet alumna Melissa Barak, now with Los Angeles Ballet, who will return as the Sugar Plum Fairy for two performances the weekend of December 11-12. Barak began her formal ballet training at Westside Ballet School at the age of 8. She studied there for 8 years before becoming accepted as a student into the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York, NY. She then went on to dance as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet for 9 years.
Past Nutcracker productions have included Monique Meunier (New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater), Anna Liceica (American Ballet Theater), Martine Harley (Houston Ballet), Melissa Barak (New York City Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Morphoses, the Wheeldon Company), Andrew Veyette (New York City Ballet), Frances Veyette (Pennsylvania Ballet), Kylee Kitchens (Pacific Northwest Ballet), Sarah Poss (Dutch National Ballet) and many more.
Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s 2010 Nutcracker will be hosted at the Wadsworth Theatre in Brentwood/Los Angeles on the weekends of December 4-5 and December 11-12. Saturday performances are at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm, and Sunday performances are at 1:00 pm & 5:00 pm. Wadsworth Theatre address: 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Brentwood, CA 90073. Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com or call 800 982-2787. Ask for the Wadsworth Theatre Nutcracker. All tickets are $30.
For more information, visit www.westsideballet.com.
