Unity Phelan And Joseph Gordon Will Be Special Guest Artists at American Repertory Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER

American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is thrilled to announce that New York City Ballet dancers Unity Phelan and Joseph Gordon will perform the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier in ARB's Nutcracker for two performances on Friday, November 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. For tickets, mccarter.org or 609.258.2787.

Born in Princeton, Unity Phelan began her dance training at the age of five at the Princeton Ballet School, where her teachers included Douglas Martin, Maria Youskevitch and Mary Barton. In December 2012, she became an apprentice with New York City Ballet and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2013. In February 2017, Ms. Phelan was promoted to soloist. She was featured on the cover the January 2016 issue of Dance Magazine as one of their "25 to Watch" selected artists. The New York Times chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay has called Unity Phelan, "the most elegantly and glamorously poetic of the younger generation now ascending to ballerina roles."

Like Unity, Joseph Gordon began his dance training at the age of five in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Joseph began studying at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, during the 2006 summer and enrolled as a full-time student that fall. In August of 2011, Mr. Gordon became an apprentice with NYCB, and in July of 2012, he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In February 2017, Mr. Gordon was promoted to soloist and in October 2018, he was promoted to principal dancer.

A holiday tradition for more than 50 years, ARB's is one of the longest continuously running Nutcracker productions in the nation. Directed by Artistic Director Douglas Martin, this holiday season ARB's professional company will be joined by students from Princeton Ballet School to tell the story of a young girl named Clara and how a mysterious gift from her Uncle Drosselmeyer brings about enchanted dreams and fantastical scenes.

Following its McCarter Theatre Center run, November 23 through November 25, ARB's Nutcracker will perform at Union County Performing Arts Center on Friday, November 30 with a Sensory Friendly performances on December 2, presented by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

On December 7 and 8, ARB travels to the South Orange Performing Arts Center for three performances, and then they will bring the joy of this holiday classic to Two River Theater in Red Bank, December 14 through 16, where they will be joined by the Concordia Youth Chorale.

State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick will be the only American Repertory Ballet performance to feature a live orchestra and the Princeton Girlchoir, December 21 through December 23.

For the full Nutcracker performance schedule, visit arballet.org.

Terra Momo restaurant group will once again partner with ARB this season. Terra Momo will offer ARB's Nutcracker ticket holders 20% off a meal at any of its four restaurants: Eno Terra in Kingston, Mediterra in Princeton, Teresa Caffe in Princeton, or Albarino in Shrewsbury.

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 comprises: the preeminent professional classical and contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and ARB's Access & Enrichment initiatives, including the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program. The performing company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th centuries 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. To learn more, visit arballet.org.

Special Thanks to Series Sponsor: Bloomberg Philanthropies. Additional support provided by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Campbell Family Foundation, The Curtis W. McGraw Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.

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