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ANDOVER—The Department of Theatre and Dance at Phillips Academy presents its bi-annual production of The Nutcracker, the classic ballet set in colonial New England. Performances of this holiday favorite will be held Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be reserved by calling the theater box office 978-749-4433.
Choreographed by faculty member Judith Wombwell, this production features more than 40 dancers led by Genevieve Clark ’08 and Melody Pao ’07 as Clara, Casey Aylward ’09 as Snow Queen, Farah Dahya ’08 as the Dew Drop Fairy, Chris Massie ’10 as the Nutcracker Prince, and James Flynn ’07 as the magical Drosselmeyer. New this year is an elegant version of the Dance of the Mirlitons danced by Mikaela Sanders ’08 and Carolyn Calabrese ’09. Performed in the second act, the dance features gorgeous costumes designed and constructed by faculty member Billy Murray.
The cast will be joined by guest artists Lia Cirio and James Whiteside from the Boston Ballet in the feature roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. When Lia Cirio was 16, she received a Level One award from The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and was a Presidential Scholar in the Arts finalist. That same year Cirio was invited by Mikko Nissinen to join Boston Ballet II. She was promoted to corps de ballet in 2004 and to second soloist in 2006.
James Whiteside, also promoted to second soloist in 2006, joined Boston Ballet in 2002. His repertory includes the world premieres of Jorma Elo’s Plan to B, Val Caniparoli’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and Helen Pickett’s Etesian. Cirio and Whiteside have performed the “Grand Pas de Deaux” together in the Boston Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker.
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