Boston Ballet Stars to Appear in FPAC’s THE NUTCRACKER

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) will welcome renowned stars of the Boston Ballet, Erica Cornejo and Paulo Arrais, to dance the principal roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and The Cavalier in its 2011 production of The Nutcracker. This annual holiday classic will be performed with a live orchestra on December 10 at 7:30 p.m. and December 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium in Franklin. Tickets will go on sale on October 17th at The Spotlight Shop, 34 Main Street at 10:00 a.m. The performances are expected to sell out.

Born in Argentina, Erica Cornejo trained at the Superior Institute of Art of the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires. At age 14 she won a gold medal at the Second International Ballet Competition in Argentina, and was immediately invited to join Julio Bocca's Ballet Argentino. Cornejo joined American Ballet Theater's Studio Company, a training program in 1998 and became a member of ABT's Corps de Ballet. She was promoted to soloist in 2002. In 2005, she danced for President George Bush at the White House.

In 2006, Cornejo joined the Boston Ballet as a Principal Dancer. Her diverse repertoire with the Boston Ballet includes Nissinen's Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Cranko's Romeo and Juliet, Nureyev's Don Quixote, Bournonville's La Sylphide, Gielgud's Giselle, Caniparoli's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Balanchine's Emeralds, and Tharp's In the Upper Room. She has created leading roles in Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison and Lar Lubovitech's "Smile With My Heart."

Corejo has performed with Corella Ballet in Spain and has been honored as a Messenger of Peace by Unesco. She also received a medal of honor from the U.S. Chapter of Institute Belgraniano as one of Argentina's leading dancers.

Born in Brazil, Paulo Arrais has studied at the Center Cultural Gustav Ritter in Brazil, the Paris Opera Ballet School in France, the English National Ballet School and the Royal Ballet School both in England. Upon graduating from the Royal Ballet School, Arrais was awarded the Ninette de Valois Bursary. He was also a finalist of 9th New York International Competition 2007 and The Youth America Grand Prix 2003, where he received a Scholarship from the Nureyev Foundation to The Paris Opera Ballet School.

In 2006, Arrais joined the Norwegian National Ballet, where he worked with choreographers such as William Forsythe (Limbs Theorem, The Second Detail, Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude), Jiri Killian (Wings of Wax), Paul Lightfoot, and Sol Leon (Softly as I Leave You, Subject to Change). Arrais also danced lead roles as Jester in Swan Lake by Anna Marie Holmes, as Prince Desiree in Sleeping Beauty by Cinthya Harvey and Basilio in Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote.

Arrais then moved to San Francisco to work with Alonzo King and his company, Lines Ballet. Arrais took part in the creation of King's Scheherazade, which opened the "Centenary of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo." In 2010 Arrais joined Boston Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member, where he performed Puck in Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream, Cavalier/Snow King in Nissenen's The Nutcracker, Golden Idol in Florence Clerc's La Bayadere, solo parts in Double Evil and Slice to Sharp by award winner and house choreographer Jorma Elo. Paulo was promoted to First Soloist in 2011.

FPAC's The Nutcracker also features a live, professional orchestra under the direction of Boston's Peter Cokkinias, and more than 100 dancers from several area dance schools.

A distinctive suburban non-profit arts organization founded in 1991, FPAC presents quality performances while offering opportunities for professional artists, amateurs, families and students of the arts to work together in a collaborative and creative environment.

Tickets for The Nutcracker go on sale October 17 at 10:00 a.m. in person at the FPAC Box Office located in The Spotlight Shop at 34 Main Street. Telephone orders will be accepted after 12:00 p.m. at 508-528-8668. Regular box office hours are Mon. - Fri., 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Tickets for each show are $24.00/$26.00/$28.00, and are reserved seating only. Group sales are available for civic groups and organizations. For more information, visit www.FPAConline.com.