MPAC, NJ Ballet and NJSO to Collaborate on THE NUTCRACKER in December

New Jersey Ballet's 45th anniversary season presentation of the holiday classic Nutcracker will feature musical accompaniment by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. The collaboration marks the first time that MPAC, New Jersey's leading ballet company and symphony orchestra have worked together to present the seasonal favorite in Morristown.

Fourteen performances of Nutcracker will take place at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) from December 11, 2015-December 26, 2015. Tickets are $29-$69. Tickets go on sale to the public on Monday, June 15 at 9 am at www.mayoarts.org.

"Adding the prestige of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to the artistry of New Jersey Ballet is sure to make the 45th anniversary of Nutcracker a memorable event for all who attend," says Allison Larena, President and CEO of MPAC. "There will be extra magic in the air when two of the state's most acclaimed artistic organizations collaborate, along with MPAC, for this must-see holiday experience."

"We're looking forward to the 45th season of our holiday classic, and we're especially delighted that the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is joining us at the Mayo Performing Arts Center to create this powerful collaboration of three great New Jersey cultural institutions," adds Carolyn Clark, Director of New Jersey Ballet.

NJSO President & CEO James Roe says: "The New Jersey Ballet has presented its stellar Nutcracker production for 45 years, and we are proud to partner with this fine arts institution-as well as the Mayo Performing Arts Center, one of New Jersey's finest arts venues-for this year's performances. The magical combination of live music and dance in this Christmas classic will make for truly special, festive experiences for audiences and performers alike."

"What makes the New Jersey arts community so special is the degree to which we all work together for the good of everybody," says Nick Paleologos, Executive Director of the NJ State Council on the Arts. "This production of Nutcracker literally embodies that unique spirit of cooperation. Put one of New Jersey's world class dance companies together with its finest symphony orchestra, inside our most recently (and beautifully) renovated performing arts center, and you have a match made in heaven! Congratulations to our longtime grantees: the New Jersey Ballet, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Mayo Performing Arts Center for this very special collaboration---and yet another shining example of how excellent and often groundbreaking work continues to put Jersey Arts on the map!"

New Jersey Ballet's Nutcracker is the longest running original professional production in the state. It debuted in Millburn in 1971 with international star of New York City Ballet Edward Villella as the Cavalier. Since then, the company has given approximately 800 performances in theatres throughout New Jersey, with more than 5,000 dancers and children, and more than a million viewers. Many in the audience who saw the production as children now bring their own children and grandchildren to see this cherished holiday tradition.

New Jersey Ballet's Nutcracker at MPAC will feature the NJSO under the baton of Gary S. Fagin. When the curtain rises, audiences in Morristown can expect the eye-popping special effects, brilliant dancing, glorious costumes, and the magic and pantomime that have inspired critics to call it "A spectacle that never seems to age.magic that should go on and on," and "One of the best.as good as it gets."

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