Los Angeles (November, 2011) — For 39 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 solo role in the Spanish variation for 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 will feature Chung-Myung Park and Paloma Connolly as Sugarplum Fairy.
Past Nutcracker productions have included Monique Meunier (New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater), Tiler Peck (New York City Ballet), 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), Kate Oderkirk (Tulsa Ballet and Oregon Ballet), Frances Veyette (Pennsylvania Ballet), Emily Hite (Sacramento Ballet), Kylee Kitchens (Pacific Northwest Ballet), Sarah Poss (Dutch National Ballet) and many more.
Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s 2011 Nutcracker will be hosted at the Wadsworth Theatre in Brentwood/Los Angeles on the weekends of December 3-4 and December 10-11. 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. Search for Westside Ballet of Santa Monica Nutcracker. All tickets are $30.
For more information, visit www.westsideballet.com
