A cast of more than 50 performers – 18 of them from the Surrey area – will dance across the stage during a 30th-anniversary Nutcracker at Surrey Arts Centre’s Main Stage.
In an annual Christmas-month tradition, the Royal City Youth Ballet production returns to the Bear Creek Park venue for five performances from Friday, Dec. 7 to Sunday, Dec. 9, as part of a regional tour of six cities.
The show, directed by Camilla Fishwick-Kellogg, moves to the iconic music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and involves the familiar characters of Clara, magical soldiers, dueling mice, a Sugar Plum Fairy, dancing snowflakes, waltzing flowers and Snow King and Queen, among others.
The dancers are trained at various dance schools in the region.
“They have come together in roles, right from our youngest Party Baby right through to one of our Sugar Plum Fairies,” says a show media advisory.
This year, Surrey-based performers in the show include Raychel Franics, Isla Richardson, Adrianna Sankovic, Dessa McKelvey, Maria Mauro, Sienna Langham, Elise Harmer, Angelina Wu, Olivia Briggs, Julia Little, Patrick Kimbell, Elyse Disher, Penelope Werdal, Sophie Werdal, Kiana Orr and Madelena Klein.
For those who don’t know the Nutcracker story, it’s set on Christmas Eve – “a time when dreams may come true,” explains a post at surrey.ca.
“Drosselmeyer, godfather to Clara, brings gifts and magic to her parents’ home for the annual Christmas party. His special gift to Clara is a large Nutcracker soldier. When she falls asleep after the party, Clara is cradling the Nutcracker in her arms and begins to dream. In her dream, her Nutcracker soldier fights a battle and transports her on a sleigh through the Land of Snow to the Land of Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy and people from far away lands. The ballet closes as Drosselmeyer brings Clara back from her dream, still cradling her Nutcracker soldier and treasuring her wonderful dream.”
In Surrey, tickets for the Nutcracker range from $28 to $42 at tickets.surrey.ca, or call 604-501-5566. Show times are Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., Dec. 8 at 1 and 4 p.m. and Dec. 9 at 1 and 4 p.m. More details are posted at royalcityyouthballet.org.
