Palos Verdes Ballet Presents 33rd Annual Production of "The Nutcracker"

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA, Calif. - Dec. 4, 2013 - PRLog -- Remember when the twinkle of lights and the smell of pine made you feel as though something magical was in the air? Relive the joys and excitement of those Christmases long ago with the Palos Verdes Ballet’s 33^rd annual production of “The Nutcracker.” Directed by Uta Graf-Apostol, this enchanting ballet classic will be performed at the Norris Center, located at 27570 Crossfield Drive in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. for one weekend only on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

“Every year, my students look forward to sharing this story with the community,” said Director Uta Graf-Apostol. “The spirit and magic of the Christmas season is truly brought to life when the Nutcracker is performed.”

Guest artist, Priit Kripson, who is currently in Europe’s Royal Ballet of Flanders, will portray the role of “Dr. Drosselmeier” and the author, E.T.A. Hoffman. Born in Estonia, Kripson is a graduate from the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet Academy and was accepted into the Estonian National Ballet as a soloist.

Adding to the all-star cast, Adam Bernstein will portray the role of the Nutcracker Prince. A finalist of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) competition and National Young Arts finalist in 2013, Bernstein has recently been offered the opportunity to become a member of the Joffrey Ballet School Concert Group.

Artour Sangueli, guest artist and audience favorite, returns to reprise his role as the high-flying Russian Trepak. A former dancer with the Zhok Folk Ballet from Moldova, Sangueli has toured throughout Europe, where he continues to perform and teach.

Tickets are $32 for adults, $22 for children and can be purchased through the Norris Center box office at (310) 544-0403 or online at www.norriscenter.com.

About the Performers

Performing every young ballerina’s dream role, the Sugar Plum Fairies are:

Veronica Edwards (18), a graduate of the Palos Verdes Ballet, who received the Fay Gillette scholarship award in 2012, currently attends Princeton University; she was a semi-finalist of Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight competition.
Olivia Tang-Mifsud (17), a semi-finalist of Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) New York finals, was invited to stay year round from San Francisco Ballet School.

Palos Verdes ballet students from various schools across the South Bay will be sharing the three roles of the main character, Marie, throughout the performance. The role of “Young Marie” will be portrayed by students:

Jane Crow (11)
Rebecca Halpern (11)
Mariela Martinez (10)

“Candle Marie,” who enters a moonlit living room in desperate search of her Nutcracker, is performed by:

May Kawashima (13)
Mariana Martinez (12)
Sasha Sudo (15)

“Midnight Marie,” who appears on stage with Drosselmeier to help the Nutcracker defeat the Mouse King is danced by:

Alyssa Hara(12)
Kate Inoue (12)
Juri Maeda (12)

The Nutcracker is transformed and a delighted “Dream Marie” is performed by:

Samantha Liu (13)
Ayari Muroi (16)
Karen Nakagawa (16)