Photo courtesy of Thomas Giroir Photography
New Haven, Connecticut, November 1, 2024 -- New Haven Ballet is excited to present a special performance of The Nutcracker for students attending schools throughout Greater New Haven. The show will be held on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. at the historic Shubert Theatre at 247 College Street in Downtown New Haven. Admission to this fantastic performance is just $12.00 for Preschool through High School students, their teachers, and chaperones.
This abbreviated version of the holiday classic allows students to share in the dream of Clara as her adventures take her through an epic battle between the Mouse King and Toy Soldiers, through a blizzard in the Land of Snow, and eventually to a performance by the Sugar Plum Fairy and all their friends in the Kingdom of the Sweets. Between acts, New Haven Ballet Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn provides students with a "behind-the-scenes" look at the inner workings of the theater and the dancer's performance preparations. Students will be treated to an exciting and educational introduction to the art of ballet, live theater, and the enchanting music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
According to the Artistic Director, “For many students, this is their first theatrical experience, and what makes it special is the dancers attend the same schools as the audience members. The youngest dancer on stage is just four years old, the same age as the preschoolers in the audience, and the lead dancers attend area high schools. The audience experiences the magic of the production and understands how open the arts are to each of them. New Haven Ballet is unique because we award scholarships yearly to students with financial need, allowing children throughout Greater New Haven to receive pre-professional dance training and perform.”
Sanborn further notes, “This year’s production features new choreography, new sets acquired from Milwaukee Ballet, and new guest artists. This is our first Children’s Matinee since the pandemic, and we expect over 1,000 local children to attend.”
New Haven Ballet was founded in 1985 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community-based ballet school in New Haven, Connecticut. Our Mission is to provide the greater New Haven Community with exceptional classical ballet training, performances, and outreach programs that nurture appreciation of ballet and foster the joy of dance.
The Nutcracker Children’s Matinee is made possible through support from New Haven Ballet’s generous supporters and partners including The City of New Haven’s Youth, Sports and Pro-Social Activities Expansion Grant, the City’s Department of Art, Culture and Tourism, the State of Connecticut’s Office of the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, Avangrid UI Lighting Up the Arts, the Hartford Foundation, the Jordan Fund, NewAlliance Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Ethel & Abe Lapides Foundation, the Dixwell Community House, the Willow Tree Montessori School, and Stonesthrow Fund.
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