Malenkee Company Dancers Will Bring

‘Nutcracker’ To Life During Holiday Festival

By Shannon Hicks

For Newtown residents to see a homegrown production of The Nutcracker Suite, Jennifer Johnston makes it pretty easy.

Ms Johnston is the owner and artistic director of Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet, which will present its annual holiday offering at Edmond Town Hall on December 3 as part of the town’s Holiday Festival. The 12:30 performance can be enjoyed as part of the day-long event sponsored by Family Counseling Center or it can be taken in as its own feature for just $5 per ticket.

Nutcracker Suite will be performed by The Malenkee Ballet Repertoire Company, the official ballet company of Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet. The production is a condensed version of the full-length ballet, with an introduction and story narration by Ms Johnston and a 45-minute performance by 16 dancers.

For the first time since Ms Johnston opened her ballet studio in August 2001, the company will have a Prince to dance the Pas De Deux with Sugar Plum. David Krause, a New Milford resident, has volunteered to help the company this year.

Sugar Plum is being played by Tory Senete this year. Additional dancers include Mary Alice Upshur as Nutcracker and Lauren Bauer as Clara; Aileen Toal and Jenn Agius as Chinese Fortune Cookies; Sarah Burke, Jacqueline Hoolehan and Jennifer Tichon as Flowers; Kayleigh Metviner as a Snowflake; Meagan Brooks and Patricia Culligan as Ribbon Candy; and Alexandra Hamar and Mary Siroky as Russian Tea.

“This performance is very appropriate for all ages,” Ms Johnston pointed out. “It’s short enough to hold children’s attention spans, but a wonderful holiday tradition for adults as well.”

Following the performance, the children in the audience will be invited onstage to meet Ms Johnston and her dancers.

“The children come right up onto the stage and get to meet the dancers, see their costumes up close, try a few steps, and even see the Christmas tree on stage which ‘grows’ during the finale,” Ms Johnston said. If the thrill of seeing this isn’t enough of an attraction for children, Girl Scouts may be able to earn credits for a Try-It badge by attending the performance, which combines theater and hands-on opportunities.

In past years the Malenkee Company has danced two performances of Nutcracker Suite. This year that has been cut back to one show, after the Holiday Festival planners decided to try something new with the town hall’s auditorium. In addition to a live ballet performance, the theater space will also play host to a screening of How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the 2000 version) at 3 o’clock.

“The big draw for the Holiday Festival for most people is the house tour,” Ms Johnston said last week. “But you’re already on Main Street to see those homes, so we really hope people will make time to enjoy a ballet performance as well.

“In addition to the ballet that we’ll be doing,” she pointed out, “the town hall also has the Victorian Tea going on upstairs and the antiques show downstairs. We’re in such a central location on Main Street.”

The Malenkee Ballet Repertoire Company will perform “Nutcracker Suite” on Sunday, December 3, at 12:30 pm, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. Admission is $5, all ages, for anyone who does not have a Holiday Festival ticket. Admission is free for those with Holiday Festival tickets.

Contact Family Counseling Center at 426-8103 or Ms Johnston at 426-9299 for additional information.