Santa Barbara Festival Ballet Presents THE NUTCRACKER At The Arlington Coming To Santa Barbara This December 

Santa Barbara Festival Ballet will present its 47th annual production of The Nutcracker at The Arlington Theater. The beloved holiday tradition is returning with three performances on Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11. This is a family friendly event, so all ages are invited to enjoy the show and celebrate the holiday season!

Set to Tchaikovsky's iconic score, the production showcases the talents of four professional guest artists from major ballet companies in the US -Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco (principal dancers San Francisco Ballet), and Alexandra Hutchinson and Kouadio Davis (principal dancers from Dance Theater of Harlem.) These guest artists will perform alongside gifted students from the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance, Santa Barbara City College, and Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, with a cast of 56 dancers and 36 musicians. Misa and Angelo will perform the Grand Pas de Deux in Act II and Alexandra and Kouadio will perform the Pas de Deux in the Act I Snow Scene.

"We are thrilled to welcome back Alexandra, Angelo, Kouadio, and Misa. Their experience and skill will come alive on stage and inspire both the audience and our students. We feel extremely fortunate to be able to host these talented performers that will share a stage with the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet students," shares Valerie Huston, Interim Executive Director and Resident Choreographer.

This year the role of Clara will be performed by Anya McCue, a senior company member with Santa Barbara Festival Ballet. Anya began her ballet journey at three years old with Montecito School of Ballet and continued her love for dance with Santa Barbara Festival Ballet. Anya is a senior at Santa Barbara High School and participates as a student and as a choreographer in the dance program. She also serves as editor in chief of her school newspaper.

A live orchestra, enchanting stage sets, and brilliant costumes are sure to transport audience members into a beautiful, winter wonderland. This year's cast brings to life the magical and classic story of Clara, the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Mouse King as they encounter dancing snowflakes and flowers, an army of troublesome mice, and so much more!

In an effort to make the show accessible to all, Santa Barbara Festival Ballet has implemented Friends of Clara, a community outreach program for children with limited resources. With the help of community service agencies, economically disadvantaged students and their families are able to receive complimentary tickets, as well as an educational program on the music and history of the Nutcracker ballet. If you would like to sponsor tickets or make a donation, and become a Friends of Clara partner, please contact Santa Barbara Festival Ballet at (805) 899-2901.

Santa Barbara Festival Ballet's Nutcracker at the Arlington will present three performances: Saturday, December 10th at 2:30pm and 7:00pm, and Sunday, December 11th at 2:30pm. Tickets range in price from $35 to $58 and can be purchased online at https://santabarbarafestivalballet.com/buy-nutcracker-tickets.

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