Fifteen local students of the Andover School of Ballet at 14 Park St. are gearing up to perform in several area productions of the popular holiday ballet The Nutcracker.
“Every week these talented and dedicated students rehearse their Nutcracker roles, as well as continuing their usual schedule of dance classes at the Andover School of Ballet. To be cast in these productions, each dancer went through an audition and then anxiously waited to hear if they were chosen for a role. Now, these gifted dancers will have the opportunity to perform on stage in one of the world’s most popular ballets and learn first hand about the life of a professional dancer,” according to a release from Kristina Liversidge, director.
Katelyn Tsai, 11, will perform as a Party Child, and Jillian Slotnick, 6, will be a Bon-Bon in the Phillips Academy production at the Tang Theatre on the Phillips Academy campus in Andover. Performances are Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 12.
Eight-year-olds Katie Beaver, Sophie Colby, and Louise Steenbergen, will perform as a Polichinelle in the Albany Berkshire Ballet production at the Collins Center for the Arts at Andover High School, 80 Shawsheen Road on Dec. 1.
Julia Jennings, 14, will perform as a Soldier in the New England Civic Ballet production at the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College, North Andover. Shows are Dec. 7, 8 and 9.
The following students will be performing in the Dance Prism production at tThe Collins Center for the Arts at Andover High School, on Dec. 15 and 16. In this production, the students perform in a touring cast at several venues in Andover, Concord, Littleton and Worcester OR in a local cast that performs their parts only in the Andover performances. The students are:
Sarah Bace, 9, performing as a Caroler;
Madeleine Botti, 10, performing as a Caroler;
Daniela Friedman, 9, performing as a Caroler and a Peppermint;
Emily Jackson, 11, performing as a Peppermint and a Cupid;
Grace Ventre, 7, performing as a Caroler;
Olivia Ventre, 8, performing as a Caroler and a Peppermint; and
Kate Zdunczyk, 9, performing as a Caroler and a Peppermint.
Anna Clark, 10, will perform as a Baby Mouse and a Gingerbread Cookie, and Lily Clark, 6, will perform as a Baby Doll in the Ballet Misha production at the Dana Center at St. Anselm’s College, Manchester, N.H. on Dec. 16 and 17.
