St. Paul’s School annual production of The Nutcracker

This December a group of children from the Friends Program will take a featured role in St. Paul’s School Ballet Company’s annual production of The Nutcracker. The dancers of St. Paul’s – also joined by top local student dancers – return to the Capitol Center for the Arts with their cherished, full-length version of Tchaikovsky’s holiday masterpiece with shows on Friday, December 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For the eighth year, the company will present the ballet in its entirety. Sharon Randolph, St. Paul’s Artistic Director, promises a colorful and elegant production of the Christmas favorite. This year children from the Friends Program will join the cast as the dragons for the Chinese dance. “Working with the Friends Program has provided an exciting opportunity for SPS students to work with children who have never experienced The Nutcracker,” Randolph said of this new partnership.

The Friends Program strives to support a wide range of people in the community that are in need. Serving over 4,500 children and adults annually, the program assists families without a home of their own, older adults who need transportation and companionship and children who need positive role models. The Capitol Center will provide complimentary tickets to the families of the children performing through the Center’s Angel ticket program.

As always, there will be new choreography in the show. Randolph’s assistant, Brian Devine, has choreographed a new Arabian solo. The show incorporates a new dance into the party scene. The Chinese and Spanish dances have also been re-choreographed.

More than 20 children from the greater Concord area, under the guidance of children’s director Brandi Nylen, will be included in the performance. These guest dancers, performing the roles of party children, soldiers, and Polichinelles, are drawn from more than ten local dance schools.

St. Paul’s School offers one of the finest dance programs in any secondary educational institution. Training with experienced faculty, in a state-of-the-art facility, students study ballet technique, which is augmented by classes in modern, jazz and performance while developing an appreciation of the art form.

Tickets to The Nutcracker are $16.50 for adults and $12.50 for students and seniors and can be purchased at the Capitol Center box office at 603-225-1111 or online at www.ccanh.com. The performances are sponsored by Citizens Bank.