Photo Flash: THE NUTCRACKER at Jorgensen, 12/13

The Magical Nutcracker Returns to Jorgensen with the Connecticut Ballet Sunday, December 13, at 1 and 4 pm.

Production sponsorship support provided by Xerox Corporation, Connecticut Public Television, and Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

After a ten-year absence, the crouching Cossacks, swirling snowflakes and sugarplum fairies of The Nutcracker will again bring the magic of the holidays to the Jorgensen stage on Sunday, December 13, at 1 and 4 pm. This enduring favorite will return in an exciting Jorgensen co-production with Connecticut Ballet, currently celebrating its 28th season under the artistic direction of Brett Raphael.

Connecticut Ballet's professional company of dancers will be joined by a cast of local children, chosen by audition, in both dance and character roles. Founded in 1981, the nationally recognized company performs a diverse repertoire of new works, masterworks, and great story ballets such as Coppèlia, Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as The Nutcracker. It also develops future artists and audiences through its affiliated educational programs.

Since being singled out at the age of ten by the great choreographer George Balanchine to receive a Ford Foundation scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet, Connecticut Ballet co-founder and artistic director Brett Raphael has toured the world and has worked with the Boston Ballet, the Joffrey II Dancers, the Nederlands Dans Theater and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. In 1999, he created Zig Zag Ballet, now the resident dance company of the Stamford Center for the Arts, which features cutting-edge contemporary ballets.

The Nutcracker is based on a tale by E.T.A. Hoffman, revised by Alexander Dumas. In this full-length production, Tchaikovsky's musical score sound-paints the action in a vivid orchestral palette that captures the ephemeral quality of dreams, the mysterious character of Drosselmeyer, the excitement of the battle with the Mouse King, the exotic figures in the "Land of the Sweets," and the exquisite romance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. It's the perfect holiday treat for children and adults alike.

See Connecticut Ballet's production of The Nutcracker at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Tickets are $25, $27 and $30, with some discounts available. Call the Box Office, Monday through Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, at 860.486.4226, or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Free, convenient parking is available across the street in the North Garage.

The Nutcracker

Scoutt Jones