The Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, the Mouse King and all the favorite Nutcracker characters will return to the St. Augustine stage this holiday season.
Saint Augustine Ballet will present its 15th annual Nutcracker to the community. The timeless classic will feature professional ballet dancers and dance students from St. Augustine and surrounding areas. This holiday favorite will be staged Dec. 15-17, with four performances in Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., downtown St. Augustine.
“I am thrilled to bring the Nutcracker once again to the community during St. Augustine’s popular Nights of Lights event,” said Luis Abella, executive director and founder of Saint Augustine Ballet. “For the 15th anniversary, we have added more professional ballet dancers and arts performers to the show, with some special surprises for the audience!”
A cast of more than 55 local dance students, professional guest artists and community “celebrities” will perform. Ballet students Emma Maroney, Adelaide Pacetti and Adele Woodward will share the role of Clara.
Mayara Pineiro from the Philadelphia Ballet will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy; Brian Guerrero from Sarasota Cuban Ballet School will perform as Snow Cavalier and Soldier; and Jeremy Mikaelson as Drosselmeyer, an award-winning magician from Russian Ballet Orlando. Marite Fuentes, formerly with the Cuban National Ballet, and Jolynne Waldner, a former Saint Augustine Ballet student who recently trained with Sarasota Ballet’s Trainee Program, will also be featured.
Show times are 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. Tickets and more details are available at saintaugustineballet.org
Saint Augustine Ballet offers performance opportunities to dancers from St. Augustine, St. Johns County and the surrounding area. Scholarships are provided for students who need support. The Saint Augustine Ballet is a nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2010.
