Nominees Announced for 5th Annual Goldstar National Nutcracker Awards

Goldstar – the popular membership-based web retailer of half-price live-entertainment tickets-announced the nominees for the 5th annual Goldstar National Nutcracker Award today.

This season, more than 50 Nutcrackers will compete to win the 'Nutty Award' and the title of "best loved Nutcracker" in the nation. The list of nominees encompasses a wide variety of shows taking place in cities across the U.S., from Atlanta to Boston and Chicago, from New York to Los Angeles, from Washington state to Washington, DC and points in between.

Performance styles of nominees run the gamut from traditional presentations, such as the Joffrey Ballet at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or Pacific Northwest Ballet's at McCaw Hall and to new interpretations of the classic like Le Casse-Noix Moderne or The Nutcracker Swings: A Twist on the Classic Holiday Ballet Set in Los Angeles During WWII.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, December 21st.

The Goldstar National Nutcracker Award, which made its debut in 2007, is awarded to the The Nutcracker with the best member reviews and event rating. To assure the authenticity of the ratings, members are only able to submit reviews and vote on their favorite Nutcracker after they have purchased tickets and seen the show.

In addition to the Nutty, the winner will also be given a $2,500 cash prize to be used toward their education programs.

"Today, it's amazing how many Nutcracker performances there are in the U.S.-shows feature everything from puppets and horses to jazz bands and gypsies," said Jim McCarthy, CEO of Goldstar. "With the Nutty Award, we want to encourage people to go see all the different shows their city has to offer, while also adding an element of hometown competition to what has been an American holiday tradition for the last 60 years."

Previous Goldstar National Nutcracker Award winners include:

· 2007- The House Theater of Chicago's The Nutcracker at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago

· 2008- The Kirov Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA

· 2009- Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Boston Opera House, Boston

· 2010- Debbie Allen Presents The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, UCLA, LA

For more information on the 2011 Goldstar National Nutcracker Award go to http://www.goldstar.com/series/nutty2011

The Nominees for the 2011 Goldstar National Nutcracker Award are:

ATLANTA
· Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker at The Fox Theatre

· Gwinnett Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker at Gwinnett Center

· Georgia Dance Theatre's The Nutcracker Ballet at McIntosh Auditorium

· Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre, The Nutcracker

BOSTON
· BalletRox's Urban Nutcracker at Wheelock Family Theatre

· House Theatre of Chicago's The Nutcracker at Stoneham Theatre

· Dance Prism's The Nutcracker at Collins Center for the Performing Arts

· Youth Ballet Company of Ballet Arts Worcester, The Nutcracker

CHICAGO
· The House Theatre of Chicago's The Nutcracker at Chopin Theatre Mainstage

· The Noble Horse Theatre's The Nutcracker at Noble Horse Theatre

· Kenneth Von Heidecke's The Nutcracker at McAninch Arts Center

· Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker at Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University

· Schaumburg Dance Ensemble's The Nutcracke at Prairie Center for the Arts

· Chicago Festival Ballet, The Nutcracker

· Salt Creek Ballet, The Nutcracker

CINCINNATI
· Cincinnati Ballet's The New Nutcracker at Aronoff Center for the Arts

· Ballet Theatre Midwest's The Nutcracker at Walter C. Deye S. J. Performance Center

DALLAS
· The Beulaville Baptist Book Club's A Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker at The Stone Cottage Theatre

· Broads and Panties Burlesque's The Nutcracker at Trees

INLAND EMPIRE
· California Riverside Ballet's The Nutcracker at Fox Performing Arts Center

· BRAVA, David Allan's The Nutcracker at Landis Performing Arts Center

· Inland Pacific Ballet, The Nutcracker

LOS ANGELES
· Long Beach Ballet's The Nutcracker at Pasadena Civic Auditorium

· Debbie Allen Dance Academy, The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker at Royce Hall at UCLA

· South Bay Ballet's The Nutcracker at El Camino College Center for the Arts - Marsee Auditorium

· Red Chair Children's Production Company 's The Nutcracker at the Alex Theatre

· Moscow Classical Ballet's The Nutcracker at Valley Performing Arts Center - Great Hall

· California Dance Academy's The Nutcracker at Madrid Theatre

· L.A. City Ballet's Le Petit Nutcracker at Millennium Biltmore Hotel

· Marat Daukayev Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker at Luckman Fine Arts Complex

· Alameda Civic Ballet, The Nutcracker

· LA Unbound, The Nutcracker Unbound

· Westside Ballet, The Nutcracker

· Joffrey Ballet, The Nutcracker

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
· Continental Ballet Company's The Nutcracker at Maplewood Performing Arts Theatre

· Ballet Minnesota's The Classic Nutcracker at The O'Shaughnessy

· Academy of Russian Ballet's The Nutcracker at Eden Prairie High School Performing Arts Center

NEW YORK
· Distinguished Concerts International New York, Le Casse-Noix Modern

· Jackie Beat's The Nutcracker at The Laurie Beechman Theatre

· Long Island Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker at Long Island School for the Arts

· Urban Ballet Theater, Nutcracker in the Lower

· Valentina Kozlova's Dance Conservatory Company, The Nutcracker

ORANGE COUNTY

· Tustin Dance Center's The Nutcracker Ballet at Nechita Center for the Performing Arts

· Festival Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker at Irvine Barclay Theatre

· Anaheim Ballet's The Nutcracker at City National Grove of Anaheim

PORTLAND
· Oregon Ballet Theatre, The Nutcracker

SAN DIEGO
· City Ballet of San Diego's Nutcracker at Spreckels Theatre

· California Ballet's The Nutcracker at San Diego Civic Theatre

· San Diego Ballet, The Nutcracker

· New West Ballet Theatre, The Nutcracker

SAN FRANCISCO
· City Ballet School's The Nutcracker at Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

· Berkeley Ballet Theater's The Nutcracker at the Julia Morgan

· Alameda Civic Ballet, The Nutcracker

· San Francisco Ballet, Nutcracker

SEATTLE
· Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker at McCaw Hall

SAN JOSE
· Peninsula Youth Ballet, The Nutcracker

WASHINGTON D.C.
· Washington Ballet, Septime Webre's The Nutcracker

· BalletNova, The Nutcracker

· Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, The Swingin' Nutcracker

About Goldstar

Goldstar (www.goldstar.com) offers half-price tickets, ideas for fun things to do, and access to the world's largest source of user reviews for live entertainment, all online. It's free for people to join Goldstar, and each week they receive custom e-mails with event offers at half-price. In addition to motivating prices and a convenient online purchase process, Goldstar offers members a variety of tools and tips to make an evening out exceptionally easy.