ABT's THE NUTCRACKER Begins Tonight at Segerstrom Center

American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker, co-presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts and ABT, and choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, will be given 14 performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, tonight, December 10-20, 2015.

Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes will lead the opening night cast of The Nutcracker dancing the roles of Clara, the Princess and Nutcracker, the Prince, respectively. Subsequent casts include Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside, Isabella Boylston and Alban Lendorf, Stella Abrera and Alexandre Hammoudi, Hee Seo and Cory Stearns, Misty Copeland and Herman Cornejo and Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak in the leading roles. At the matinee performance on Saturday, December 12, Isabella Boylston and Alban Lendorf will dance the roles of Clara, the Princess and Nutcracker, the Prince for the first time with ABT. Lendorf, a principal dancer with Royal Danish Ballet, will join ABT as a Principal Dancer in September.

Principal Casting for The Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center the Arts
Artists and program are subject to change.

Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Veronika Part
Marcelo Gomes

Friday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Gillian Murphy
James Whiteside

Saturday, December 12 at 2 p.m.
Isabella Boylston*
Alban Lendorf*

Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Veronika Part
Marcelo Gomes

Sunday, December 13 at 1 p.m.
Stella Abrera
Alexandre Hammoudi

Sunday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Gillian Murphy
James Whiteside

Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Hee Seo
Cory Stearns

Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Misty Copeland
Herman Cornejo

Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Isabella Boylston
Alban Lendorf

Friday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Sarah Lane
Joseph Gorak

Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m.
Stella Abrera
Alexandre Hammoudi

Saturday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Misty Copeland
Herman Cornejo

The Nutcracker, set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, features choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, scenery and costumes by Richard Hudson and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. This production was given its World Premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House on December 23, 2010, led by Gillian Murphy as Clara, the Princess and David Hallberg as Nutcracker, the Prince.

Center President Terrence W. Dwyer said, "We are so pleased to introduce a new Orange County holiday tradition by presenting American Ballet Theatre's prestigious and acclaimed production of The Nutcracker. This ballet holds a very special place in the hearts and memories of audiences and will continue to inspire a new generation of dance fans. And we are especially thrilled that students from our ABT William J. Gillespie School will share the stage with the celebrated ABT dancers."

The engagement of The Nutcracker continues an on-going relationship between Segerstrom Center and American Ballet Theatre. The company has appeared at the Center 23 times, beginning in 1987. At the Center, ABT gave the world premiere of Mikhail Baryshnikov's Swan Lake in 1988, the West Coast premiere of Kevin McKenzie's new production of The Sleeping Beauty in 2007 and the world premiere of a new production of Firebird by Alexei Ratmansky in 2012. In 2008, the Center and ABT co- commissioned Twyla Tharp1s Rabbit and Rogue, receiving its world premiere in New York and West Coast premiere at the Center. In 1999, the ABT production of Le Corsaire was taped in Segerstrom Hall for broadcast on PBS' Dance In America, winning an Emmy Award. In 2003, The Dream was also taped at the Center for broadcast on Dance In America.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker start at $29 and will go on sale Sunday, September 13 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. Free Preview Talks will be conducted by Elizabeth Kaye one hour prior to each performance. Artists and program are subject to change.

Segerstrom Center's International Dance Series is made possible by: Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. This engagement is presented with lead underwriting support from William J. Gillespie. Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Kia, the Official Automotive Partner of the Center and United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Center. Classical KUSC and COAST Magazine are Media Partners of the International Dance Series.

American Ballet Theatre gratefully acknowledges Lead Underwriter of The Nutcracker, David H. Koch as well as Linda Allard for her generous support of costumes for The Nutcracker. Additional support is generously provided by Joan Taub Ades and Alan M. Ades, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation and Brian and Darlene Heidtke are Co-Underwriting Sponsors of The Nutcracker. A gift as Co-Underwriting Sponsor of costumes for The Nutcracker has been provided in loving memory of Ellen Everett Kimiatek, The Nutcracker is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

American Ballet Theatre is one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 400,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so.

Over its 75-year history, the Company has appeared in a total of 132 cities in 50 countries and has performed in all 50 states of the United States. ABT has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagements in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre became America's National Ballet Company®.

Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, is the largest orchestra formed in the United States in the last 50 years, and is recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scene as well as in its own community of Orange County, Calif. Pacific Symphony offers moving musical experiences with repertoire ranging from the great orchestral masterworks to music from today's most prominent composers, highlighted by the annual American Composers Festival and a series of multi-media concerts called "Music Unwound." Pacific Symphony is dedicated to developing and promoting today's composers and expanding the orchestral repertoire - illustrated through its many commissions and recordings, in-depth explorations of American artists and themes. The Symphony's innovative approaches to new works received the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming in 2005 and 2010. In 2010, Pacific Symphony was named one of five orchestras profiled by the League of American Orchestras in a study on innovation. Since 2006, the Symphony has performed in the Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, designed by Cesar Pelli with acoustics by Russell Johnson. In March 2006, the Symphony embarked on its first European tour - receiving an unprecedented 22 rave reviews.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi- disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization and owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Judy Morr Theater, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' ongoing Free for All series. The American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center opens in 2015.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family- friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. The Center's arts-in-education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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