THE NUTCRACKER to Return to San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

Pasadena Dance Theatre will present The Nutcracker! Under the Artistic Direction of Ashleigh Doede with choreography by Jessamyn Vedro, this production blends timeless tradition with bold storytelling and theatrical wonder. The Nutcracker ballet returns for a limited engagement to the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse (320 S Mission Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776) from December 19-21, 2026. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 9, 2026.

Set to Tchaikovsky's beloved score, Vedro's interpretation follows Clara's coming-of-age journey, through a vivid dreamscape where she travels the world, encountering dances from China, France, Ukraine, Egypt, Scotland, and Spain. Along the way, Clara learns to embrace courage, curiosity, and joy, transforming the beloved ballet into a story of empowerment, imagination, and discovery.

"We are delighted to welcome audiences back for another year of The Nutcracker," shared Artistic & Conservatory Director Ashleigh Doede. "Jessamyn Vedro's interpretation beautifully balances tradition with thoughtful storytelling, allowing Clara's journey to feel deeply personal and relatable. Every year, this production brings together our students, alumni, guest artists, families, and community in a celebration of artistry, imagination, and the joy of the season."

Featuring a cast of more than 60 dancers, including guest artists, alumni, advanced Conservatory students and youth performers, The Nutcracker brings generations of the PDT community together on stage. Leading roles will be performed by acclaimed artists Elise Holmes as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Lester Gonzalez as the Cavalier, alongside returning alumni and Conservatory dancers.

The production also reflects the many ways artists can grow within the Pasadena Dance Theatre community. Doede,Vedro and Holmes have each held multiple roles within the organization, from student and performer to Artistic Director, Choreographer, Guest Artist and Faculty. Their paths reflect Pasadena Dance Theatre's nearly 70-year history of nurturing artists throughout their careers. A cornerstone of the organization's annual season, The Nutcracker continues PDT's longstanding commitment to exceptional dance training, artistic development and meaningful performance opportunities for young artists.

The Nutcracker will play from December 19-21, 2026 at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse (320 S Mission Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776). Performance schedule is Saturday, December 19 at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, December 20 at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Monday, December 21 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for the regular performances start at $30 and will be available Friday, October 9, at PasadenaDanceTheatre.org.

Open to classrooms, communities, and curious hearts, Pasadena Dance Theatre's Annual The Nutcracker Community Show invites you to experience the magic of the holiday classic at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse on Friday, December 18 at 10:00 a.m. For decades, this beloved production has welcomed schools, homeschool groups, and families to share in the wonder of live dance together. Tickets are just $10, reflecting PDT's lasting commitment to making the arts accessible and ensuring everyone can share in the joy of this festive tradition. For groups over 50 or to pay by check, call (626) 683-3459 or reach out via email to info@pasadenadancetheatre.org. For group sales, click here.

BIOGRAPHIES

Ashleigh Doede (Artistic & Conservatory Director) received her early ballet training at Le Studio Dance, studying with Philip and Charles Fuller, Gilma Bustillo DeQuattro, Roberto Almaguer, Julia Ortega, Roxanne Olesijuk, Charles Maple, and Nancy Evans Doede. She graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in 2006, training with KaRon Brown Lehman, Don Martin, Vera Ninkovic, Beth Hirschhaut-Iguchi, Reggie Brown, and Randall Graham. Ashleigh went on to study with Glenn Edgerton and perform with Anaheim Ballet under the direction of Larry and Sarma Rosenberg, dancing a range of soloist roles. From 2007-2009, she joined Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II, performing in works by Michael Pink, Marius Petipa, and Anthony Tudor.

From 2006-2010, she has participated in renowned summer programs including Boston Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Springboard Danse Montréal, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Northwest Dance Project. Ashleigh met James Canfield at NWDP and thereafter joined Nevada Ballet Theatre (2010-2011) as a trainee. She choreographed and performed for the student outreach program and contributed choreography to the 4th annual Choreographer's Showcase, collaborating with Cirque du Soleil dancers at the Aria Hotel and Casino Theatre. Her professional career also includes performing with Pasadena Dance Theatre (2009-2021). She performed many works choreographed by Laurence Blake, Cynthia Young, Antonio Lopez, and more. Some highlighted roles she danced include the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Mustardseed in Laurence Blake's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and various soloist roles in contemporary works.

Ashleigh joined PDT's Conservatory faculty in 2011, quickly becoming a cornerstone teacher, and in 2025, she was appointed Artistic and Conservatory Director - a role that honors her deep roots with Pasadena Dance Theatre as both alumna and faculty member. Ashleigh continues to expand her artistry as a founding member, choreographer, and Associate Artistic Director of Nancy Evans Dance Theatre, as an aerialist, and as a certified yoga instructor with a 500-hour certification from YogaWorks.

Jessamyn Vedro (Choreographer) trained with Cynthia Young and Laurence Blake at PDT, on scholarship at San Francisco Ballet School, at ABT New York, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, and with Alonzo King's Lines Ballet in San Francisco. She danced as a Soloist with ABT's Studio Company in New York, performing in premieres of contemporary ballets by Dominic Walsh, Stephen Mills and Brian Reeder. Her roles with PDT include Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and Arabian Soloist in The Nutcracker, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Beauty in Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella in Cinderella. She has performed in many contemporary ballets by Laurence Blake, Charles Anderson, Scott Putman, Jodie Gates and Francisco Martinez. Jessamyn has received several awards for her choreography, including the RDA/Pacific Award for Outstanding Choreography. Her work, some thousand hundred million more bright worlds, was premiered by ABT's Studio Company in Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.

Elise Holmes (Sugar Plum Fairy) began her dance training at Pasadena Dance Theatre under Cynthia Young and Laurence Blake. In 2015, she received the Pasadena Arts Council Young Artist Award for Dance before earning her BFA in Dance Performance and a minor in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. While at UCI, Elise was awarded the William J. Gillespie Scholarship and performed at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and internationally in Shanghai, China. Following graduation, Elise joined San Jose Dance Theatre as a trainee and was soon promoted to company member, performing leading roles including Mina in Dracula and appearing in original works by Michael Pappalardo and Mark Foehringer. Her professional credits also include Dido and Aeneas and West Side Story with Opera San Jose, where she served as Dance Captain, Mark Foehringer's Nutcracker Sweets, SoCal Ballet Scene's Le Corsaire, and Pasadena Dance Theatre.

Beyond the stage, Elise is a dedicated educator who has taught at San Jose Dance Theatre and West Valley Dance Company, where she helped shape ballet curricula, choreographed new works, and guided pre-professional students. She is passionate about sharing her artistry and inspiring the next generation of dancers.

Lester Gonzalez (Cavalier) graduated from the National Ballet School of Havana, Cuba. In 2011, he joined Ballet Laura Alonso as a company dancer, and later emigrated to the United States. He has performed diverse roles from the classical and contemporary repertoire, including lead roles in Septime Webre's The Great Gatsby and Fluctuating Hemlines. With Ballet San Antonio, he performed as Romeo in Edwaard Liang's Romeo and Juliet. He has been featured in productions with the San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, and the Los Angeles Opera. A former company dancer with the Dayton Ballet, in 2023 he made his musical theater debut in the North American tour of Anastasia, and was one of 16 dancers to be selected for the National Choreographers Initiative program. Lester is the co-founder of Pas De Deux Workshops & Coaching.

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