Chamber Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’ debuts Dec. 15

To celebrate its 40^th anniversary of the “The Nutcracker Ballet” production, the Las Cruces Chamber Ballet has spared no expense.

For the first time, the Chamber Ballet Orchestra, comprised of 42 professional musicians from the Las Cruces, Juarez, and El Paso symphonies, and directed by Maestro Francisco Javier Renteria, will accompany more than 80 local dancers to create the largest dance production ever to be presented at the Atkinson Music Recital Hall at New Mexico State University.

More than 20 young ballerinas from En Pointe dance studio in Hobbs, New Mexico, and directed by Bethany Romney Bluth, will perform a special version of the “Waltz of the Flowers.”  Bluth was a previous member of the Chamber Ballet and has successfully run her studio for more than five years.

The usual playful antics between Clara (Adrianna Cordero) and her rascal of a brother, Fritz (Kinley Krol), will be tempered by her Mother (Victoria Rel) and Nanny (Malakai Garcia).  Herr Drosselmeyer (Kevin Self) will help lead everyone through the harrowing battle scene and into the heavenly Land of the Sweets.

AppleHelen Kirby, contemporary dance director for Michele’s Dance Academy, has been commissioned to create an all-new version of the “Waltz of the Snowflakes” after her much lauded “Waltz of the Flowers” in last year’s production.

Marissa Cordero, folklorico director for Pasos de Alma at Michele’s Dance Academy, has prepared a unique twist on the Spanish Dance.

With a live orchestra comes a live chorus. Through the extensive efforts of Diane Schutz, 18 singers from the local high schools will bless the audience with their angelic voices during the “Waltz of the Snowflakes.”

This year, as a gift for 40 years of loyal attendance, the Las Cruces Chamber Ballet has the pleasure of presenting two leading soloists from New York’s Dance Theatre of Harlem. Lindsey Donnell will perform the role of SugarPlum Fairy along with Micah Bullard as her Cavalier.

Performances will be 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15; and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall, 1075 N. Horseshoe St. on campus. For reserved tickets, visit lascruceschamberballet.org or call Michele’s Dance Academy, 575 527-1893.