GRAVETTE — A holiday tradition continues for a fifth year when the Classical Ballet Academy performs The Nutcracker, showcasing the most promising young dancers in northwest Arkansas. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 5, and 3 p.m. Sunday, December 6, at the Arend Arts Center on the Bentonville High School campus.
Catherine Kyle, the academy’s founder, said the production is a great treat, both for the dancers and for the audience.
“Our ballet students find it inspiring to witness the high level of dance skill and expressiveness of the professional guest dancers,” Kyle said. “At the same time, our local audience is offered a performance usually only seen regionally in large cities like Tulsa, Kansas City and Dallas.”
Marissa Spear, 14, of Bentonville, will dancethe role of Clara, the girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas. Spear, the daughter of George and Sue Spear of Bentonville, is an eighth grader at St. Vincent de Paul and a senior member of the Classical Ballet Academy. She has studied ballet for more than six years.
Classical Youth Ballet company dancers will dance the other lead ballet roles in the second act and the entire cast of 85 dancers features children and adults from the community.
Tickets are available for the December 6 and 7 performances. Prices begin at $7 and they are available by calling (479) 464-0150.
Classical Ballet Academy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing classical ballet education and performance opportunities to youth in Northwest Arkansas.
News, Pages 2 on 12/02/2009