Tooele County may not be home to a grand concert hall, professional performing arts groups or prestigious arts schools, but 13 area youths will dance with the state’s top professional ballerinas this Christmas in Ballet West’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
According to Cati Snarr, children’s ballet mistress for the production, two of those 13 children will play lead children’s roles: Nephew will be played by Cendan Dillon and the Trumpeter by Scout Sutton.
Others appearing in supporting roles in the production include Dorian Dillon, Allie Manning, McKenna Manning, Isabel Harrell, Harmony Steinagel, Natalie Jacobsen, Ashlee Sizemore, Kamri Kelsey, Madison Stephenson, Sage Duersch and Sammy Hansen.
“The Nutcracker” is a classic two-act ballet based on a fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet tells the story of Clara, a young girl who receives a nutcracker as a gift from her uncle during a Christmas party, and who after the party dreams that her nutcracker and other toys have come alive in a fantastical land of dancing snow and fairies.
Ballet West has performed this version of “The Nutcracker,” which is considered the first full-length American adaptation of the classic Christmas ballet, since 1955. It is the longest-running production of “The Nutcracker” still running anywhere in the world, according to Joshua Jones, press manager for Ballet West.
Carina Dillon, a Tooele resident whose two youngest sons will appear in this year’s production, said she first heard about the Ballet West production after her sons enrolled in ballet classes at Tooele Valley Academy of Dance. Her middle son, Cendan, will appear in the production for the third time this year.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Carina Dillon said. “It’s really neat to see them have that experience, and it’s been especially nice to see so many other dancers who are boys — I think that’s been really nice for them.”
Dillon said her sons have built positive relationships with the other child performers, and have been able to take their dancing to a new level as a result of working side-by-side with professionals.
“The Nutcracker” will open this Friday at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City and continue to run with 23 matinee and evening performances between Dec. 5 and Dec. 31. Tickets range from $19-$75 and may be purchased online at www.balletwest.org, or by calling 801-869-6920.