Ovations Dance Repertory Company Presents its 20th Anniversary Of THE NUTCRACKER SUITE At Patchogue Theatre

Ovations Dance Repertory Company, under the artistic direction of Orlando Peña, presents the 20th Anniversary of The Nutcracker Suite at Patchogue Theatre on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m and Sunday, December 8 at 1:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. Ticket prices range between $20.00-$45.00, plus applicable fees. Purchase online, by phone or at the box office. For more information, visit PatchogueTheatre.org, call the Patchogue Theatre Box Office at 631-207-1313, or stop by 71 East Main Street, Patchogue, NY.

The extremely talented dancers of Ovations Dance Repertory Company, under the artistic direction of Orlando Peña, will be performing alongside five professional dancers and accompanied by the Atlantic Wind Symphony Orchestra. The performance will be the only full length presentation of the holiday classic accompanied by a live orchestra in Suffolk County.

The young and the young at heart will be captivated by the dazzling blend of Peña's choreography, lavish costumes, brilliant sets in an enchanting storybook world, and an unforgettable Tchaikovsky score performed live to the delight of all the senses. Mr. Pena, a Cuban born naturalized American, believes in a strong diverse theme and has added "Indian Spice" celebrating the multicultural flavor of bhangra music and Indian dance to this special edition of "The Nutcracker Suite".

This year some of the many students who have gone onto exciting careers, along with a diverse group of professional dancers are returning to the stage to celebrate the twentieth anniversary show.

Audrey Dineen, was a senior in High School when she performed in Ovations first Nutcracker, and is now a Speech Pathologist at Stony Brook Medicine, working with Pediatrics and Adults with feeding and swallowing disorders.

Elizabeth Graziani, was 13 years old when she performed in the first Nutcracker and competed in Ballroom Dance Competitions with Ovations. She is currently a Director of Processing at SUNation Solar Systems. Richard Loeschner, is returning to perform once again as Herr Drosslmyer. Mr. Loeschner is also a parent to two alumni of "The Nutcracker Suite" and is the Superintendent of Brentwood Schools.

Megan Remsen, was five years old when she performed in the first Nutcracker. She has since graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a BS and M.Eng in Civil Engineering. She is currently a Project Engineer at DiLandro Andrews Engineering.

Alexandra Savini, performed in the first Nutcracker when she was four years old. She recently graduated from SUNY Cortland with a degree in Communication Studies. She is currently a dancer with DanceWorksNYC in Long Island City and an E-Commerce Coordinator for 90 Degrees By Reflex.

Maggie Kassner, adopted from China at 9 months, began dancing at Ovations at the age of three and is graduating Patchogue-Med H.S with Honors in June. She will be dancing the lead role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Saverio Pescucci, began his ballet training in Milan, Italy and has danced with "Dance Theatre of Harlem", "Dresden SemperOper Ballet" and Finnish National Ballet. In 2017 he made his debut in "Phantom of the Opera" in NYC and since 2019 has been dancing with the show internationally on the World Tour of Phantom of the Opera.

Morgan Stinnett, currently freelances with Ballet with a Twist, Connecticut Ballet, K/M D/M, CelloPointe, Dances Patrelle and East Coast Contemporary Ballet and is the Ballet Master for the View Dance Challenge Convention in Canada. He has performed with Cindi Lauper in her "Home for the Holidays" show at The Beacon Theater.

Richard Philion, from British Columbia, Canada, trained in Canada's National Ballet School and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. He was one of the first male dancers to achieve his advanced certification in the Cecchetti method of ballet in Western Canada. Richard has danced all over the US and Canada as well as internationally, including in Galan Entertainments' Tango Buenos Aires and the APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Russia Alex Mulyk, is a member of both the Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and the Iskra Dance Ensemble. He is studying Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience at The Catholic University of America.

Markian Ougrin, is a member of the Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble while majoring in Business and Economics at Stony Brook University.

Orlando Peña (Artistic Director/Choreographer) of Ovations Dance Academy in Bohemia for 23 years. He is an Artist in Residence at East Woods School in Oyster Bay which averages 6 performances a year. This coming winter Orlando will be starting a program with the Sachem School District bringing performing art into the schools. As well as being the founder of Ovations Dance Repertory Company, a nonprofit organization since 1997. With his exuberant energy and love for his students and the arts, it is no wonder he is highly respected in the industry.

Mr. Peña has toured the United States and Europe performing and choreographing with numerous dance companies. His ballet credentials come from his being a principle dancer and soloist with The Windermere Ballet Theatre under the direction of the late Sally Hammond. He then went on tour with "A Chorus Line", "Music Man", "Oklahoma", and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" in Bochum, Germany. Orlando is a member of AEA. His choreographic experience has won him a position with The NYC Latin Choreographers Festival. His work has been featured in The Long Island Hispanic Magazine and LI Pulse Magazine.

Since the inception of Ovations Dance Academy, Mr. Peña has trained and guided students who have been accepted to Vail International Dance Festival, The Rock School in Pennsylvania, American Ballet Theatre Alabama and Bermuda, USDAN, Alvin Ailey, The Boston Ballet, American Academy of Ballet, The Joffrey School and Orlando Ballet, Florida. His students can also be seen on Broadway, National Broadway Tours, Cruise Ships, National Commercials, HBO Movies in featured roles.

As Artistic Director, he has participated in numerous charity events, some of them being, "A World of Pink" fashion show which raises funds for breast cancer survivors and "Did You Talk to Him Today" which raised $30,000 for local homeless charities throughout Long Island. In addition, he has participated as a volunteer for The Patchogue Theatre Committee and is former Board Member of The Brookhaven Arts Council and Humanities.

ODRC has established a reputation on Long Island for the pre-professional quality of musical productions. Since 1997 we have produced over 20 musicals in addition to our yearly Nutcracker productions.

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