American Repertory Ballet Presents 50th Annual NUTCRACKER at State Theatre Today

American Repertory Ballet's 50th Annual Nutcracker production will come to State Theatre today, December 21 at 1:00pm and 4:30pm. These performances feature Tchaikovsky's score played live by an orchestra under the direction of Maestro Michael Pratt, and vocals by the Princeton Girlchoir. In addition to ARB's 50th Nutcracker milestone, State Theatre is also celebrating its own 25th year.

American Repertory Ballet, formerly known as Princeton Ballet, has been performing its Nutcracker at State Theatre for over 20 years. ARB's current version of Nutcracker is choreographed by Artistic Director Douglas Martin, with additional choreography by Resident Choreographer Mary Barton, features the Act I Party and Battle scenes from Company Founder Audrée Estey's original production. This year, there is a brand new growing Christmas tree, designed by Carl Sprague.

ARB's Nutcracker is a special opportunity for select students from Princeton Ballet School to join the professional company on stage. Many are from Middlesex and Mercer Counties. Some students from Princeton Ballet School's New Brunswick location will be performing at the New Brunswick tree lighting ceremony on Friday, December 6 at the corner of Livingston Avenue and George Street, in front of Monument Square, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. These New Brunswick students are DANCE POWER Scholars - students who were selected from American Repertory Ballet's DANCE POWER program in New Brunswick Public Schools to attend Princeton Ballet School on full scholarship.

Princeton Ballet School Director Mary Pat Robertson will be hosting Pre-Performance Insights today, December 21 at 12:00pm (prior to the 1:00pm show), today, December 21 at 3:30pm (prior to the 4:30pm show), and Sunday, December 22 at 3:30pm (prior to the 1:00pm show). These discussions, which will introduce you and your children to the ballet's story and characters before the show, will be held at the United Methodist Church at 323 George Street - diagonally across the street from the theatre. Robertson will also host a post-performance discussion with costumed characters after the 1:00pmperformance on December 21. This will be a special chance for audience members to meet the dancers, ask questions, and request autographs.

In nearby Princeton, ARB will be holding a reception in honor of its 50th Nutcracker Season: its "Celebrate the Legacy" Reception at The Nassau Club on November 30 at 7:00pm. The event will feature gourmet hors d'oeuvres prepared by The Nassau Club Chef Brian Dougherty, a 50/50 raffle, an auction, displays of photos and mementos from the company's past 50 years of Nutcracker, and more. More information about this event, including menu items, and a downloadable event invitation, is on ARB's website. Visit www.arballet.org/ARB/Nutcracker for more information about this reception and the 50th AnnualNutcracker performance season.

Also in Princeton, ARB will host its annual "Nutcracker Sweets" party on November 29 at 3:15pm - between the 1:00pm and 4:30pm performances at McCarter Theatre. At "Nutcracker Sweets," families can enjoy homemade treats; tea, coffee, and hot cocoa served in china teacups; story time; and free photos with costumed characters. Tickets for "Nutcracker Sweets" are sold separately from performance tickets, but they are also available by calling the McCarter box office: 609-258-ARTS (2787). Please contact Naomi Levecchia with any questions: nlevecchia@arballet.org, 732-249-1254 x25.

Top sponsors of ARB's 50th Annual Nutcracker Season include: New Brunswick Development Corporation, Covance Foundation, The Charles and Rachel Gray Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation, and Hampton Inn. Town Topics and Princeton Magazine, Packet Media, NJ Family, Bucks County Courier, Bucks Life Magazine, Moxie Woman Magazine, and Princeton Alumni Weekly are media sponsors.

American Repertory Ballet's mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization is comprised of: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Access and Enrichment initiatives, ranging from the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program to the popular On Pointe series. The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. The company's rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields and Melissa Barak; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig. ARB has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. ARB was voted People's Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008, 2011, and 2012.

Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Princeton Ballet School currently enrolls approximately 1500 students annually from age three through adult and is directed by Mary Pat Robertson. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton which are equipped with shock-absorbent floors, non- slip dance surfaces and pianos for live accompaniment. Many of Princeton Ballet School's faculty members have performed professionally; others have attained graduate degrees in dance education and have won awards for their teaching. Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, STREB, Momix, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, New York Theatre Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Met Columbus, and American Repertory Ballet.

Princeton Ballet School student performers from the area:

New Brunswick: Sophia Scheulov

North Brunswick: Sara Garcia and Sophia Melgarej

East Brunswick: Dominique Rafael, Fiona Sheard, and Alexander Womac

Highland Park: Lily Solomon and Karen Stevens

Martnsville: Jean Thompson

Mercerville: Hannah-Yael Apedo

Mount Laurel: Danielle Martin

Princeton: Jenin Amer, Laura Babikian, Kiera Black, Athena Boutross, AnnaLee Brody, Grace Chung, Isabelle Clayton, Florencia Churchitser, Marina Churchitser, Nicole Dalton, Abigail de Riel, Tiffany Dietrich, Elio DiMauro, Caroline DiSimoni, Ned Erickson, Carmen Finn, Julia Finn, Lucile Fleurial, Charlotte Granato, Morgan Heiser, Nicole Heiser, Elizabeth Jones, Benjamin Jorgensen, Michael Karnaukh, Manya Kaushik, Skye Knowlton, Michalina Lacheta, Ashlyn Liverman, Natsuki Miller, Catalina Molina, Dean Morgan, Valentina Palladino, Jacqueline Patterson, Helena Ploss, Anjali Prior, Emma Raccaro, Alexandra Roden, Robin Roth, Maina Shaevitz, Emma Simmins, Blaise Stone, Lucia Valencia, Sofia Valencia, Madeleine Wass, Eliza White, Chloe Wright, and Lilly Wright.

Princeton Junction: Patrizia Galati, Clara Nevers, Nora Weiss, Kylie Zhou, Lily Zhu, Caroline Galati, Isabella Markey, and Connor Kraft

Lawrenceville: Elisabeth Hekman, Emily Jorgensen, Lindsay Jorgensen, Alexandra Loughran, Ciara Loughran, Molly Lutolf, Gemma Oshiro, Allison Piccone, Heidi Vander Schaaff, Cynthia Yank, and Jacqueline Yank

West Windsor: Zarah Danika Mendoza and Nicole Potenza

Plainsboro: Cate Bashore, Marian Farrell, Kaila Jones, Utku Ozdemir, Camille Redmond, Calla Song, and Sophia Walker

Cranbury: Caroline Gibson, Imogen Lea, Nina Reyes, Brooke Xie, and Caroline Xie

Pennington: Ines Dominique, Paige Dumon, Sydney Faber, and Julia Rutman

Hillsborough: Emily Duque, Katrina Duque, Ella Jackson, Zoe Jackson, Ellen Lou, Cassandra Mure, Tejasvi Naganathan, Angela Talusan, Skyla Vera, and Gillian Westhusin

Edison: Allina Xiao

Colonia: Gabrielle Tanyag

Skillman: Nora Bradley, Julia Dismukes, Josh Dismukes, Olivia Ko, Sheridan Kragseth, Alexis Lien, Emma Lien, Faelen Paladino, and Aevyn Peacock

Bedminster: Abigail Parker

Kendall Park: Catherina Chiarella

Lambertville: Hannah Kim

Belle Mead: Audrey Bitting, Grace He, Annika Kuo, Ryan Ricca, Ava Roitburg, and Isabella Weigand

Titusville: Emilia Kraft - Kraft will be reprising the role of Clara this year, alternating casts with other advanced Princeton Ballet School students.

Dayton: Rhea Paul and Harini Rajadeva

Ewing: Kyryk Pavlovsky

Hamilton Square: Carina Famous

Old Bridge: Jada Manaloto

Sayreville: Rhena Johnson and Liana Masangkay

Trenton: Kahlia Fletcher

Warren: Michelle DeAngelis