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, 44 S. Main St., with their cherished, full-length version of Tchaikovsky's holiday masterpiece with shows on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 19 at 2 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.
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 10 local dance schools.
Tickets to The Nutcracker are $16.50 for adults and $12.50 for students and seniors and can be purchased by calling 225-1111 or visiting ccanh.com.
