With a swish of stage curtains and splash of colorful footlights soon to come, Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet & Voice Artistic Director & Owner Tory Gozzi said, “It’s that time of year again.” With excitement, she anticipates this season’s Nutcracker Suite, as traditionally performed by the ballet company’s Malenkee dancers. This will be Ms Gozzi’s second year leading the company in the holiday performances.

Shows are at noon and 2 pm on Sunday, December 7, in the Edmond Town Hall Theatre. NCCBV’s Nutcracker Suite will be part of the 29th Holiday Festival, benefiting Newtown Youth & Family Services. Tickets are $7 at the door, or are included in the cost of a full Holiday Festival ticket (details below).

A special preview performance is also scheduled for Saturday, December 6, at 9:30 am, in the Alexandria Room as part of the Newtown Rotary Club’s Annual Pancake Breakfast. The acts will be an abbreviated version of the Sunday performances.

This year, Ms Gozzi is happy to welcome back the angels — “Little ones who have been working with the older girls,” she said.

At a dress rehearsal Friday, November 21, a group of younger girls were dressed in white and wearing halos, ready to play their parts. Ms Gozzi said the younger dancers had been in Swan Lake earlier this year as little swans, and although the upcoming Nutcracker Suite is traditionally performed members of Malenkee Company, the younger dancers will be part of the December show this year.

The swans are part of the full-length ballet, and Ms Gozzi is “working them into their usual place,” this year where they welcome characters Clara and the Nutcracker into the Land of the Sweets.

“We have a lot more young members and it’s nice seeing the older members taking the younger girls under their wing,” Ms Gozzi said. “The little ones look up to the older ones so much.” She likes to see, she said, “older girls teaching the next generation the values of the company.”

Her dancers, including five seniors, are ready for this year’s show, she noted. All ballerinas “have been working really well together,” she added.

The seniors have also been “an amazing help with transition of me taking over last year, they embraced and helped me lead the school and they have been supportive and dedicated and I appreciate that.”

A Five-Hour Festival

The performances by NCCBV are part of the Newtown Holiday Festival, a family event that will offer events for all ages while also raising funds NYFS. The festival this year will feature Historic Trolley Rides, Holiday Tea, a Gingerbread House Contest (click here for entry details), Yankee Candle sale, Jingle Bell Jam, Frozen Frenzy, Scholastic Book Sale, The Festival of Trees, and more.

After a one-year hiatus, the Historic House Tour is returning this year. Four homes on Main Street and one on East Street will be open for ticket-holders.

The festival will run from 11 am until 4 pm and most activities will take place at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street.

A new event, The Jingle Bell Jam will be performed Saturday, December 6, at 7 pm, in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall. The concert will feature favorite holiday tunes performed by Goldrush, a locally based band. Goldrush is a unique ensemble that performs original, traditional, and American roots music.

Admission to The Jingle Bell Jam is $10, which can be done in advance or at the door. Those who attend Jingle Bell Jam can the take their ticket stub from that event to the festival on Sunday and receive reduced admission of $5 off an adult ticket.

Also new this year, The Frozen Frenzy will offer children the chance to make a craft based on the popular Disney movie, enjoy a Frozen-inspired snack, play games, sing karaoke, and even meet some of the characters.

Holiday Festival tickets are $10 for individuals and $25 for families (two adults, two children). Each additional child is $5.

Tickets are available at Everything Newtown, 61 Church Hill Road; and Newtown Savings Bank locations at 39 Main Street and 228 South Main Street (Sand Hill Plaza) in Newtown; 68 Stony Hill Road in Bethel; and 99 Federal Road in Brookfield.

Jingle Bell Jam tickets will also be available at the Newtown Savings Bank locations mentioned above, as well as NYFS headquarters, 15 Berkshire Road.

Newtown Youth & Family Services is dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. The nonprofit agency combines clinical services and positive youth development programs to provide a continuum of care to residents of the greater Newtown area.

NYFS is the designated mental health clinic for Newtown/Sandy Hook. It is licensed by the Department of Children & Families as an outpatient psychiatric clinic for children and by the Department of Public Health as a psychiatric outpatient clinic for adults and as a facility for the care or treatment of substance abusive or dependent persons. Located at 15 Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook, NYFS is accredited by the Council on Accreditation.

For a detailed list of events and times, including ticket information, visit .newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org