The Encinitas Ballet Company will present its 16th annual production of “The Nutcracker,” a version where tradition meets enchantment pairing professional dancers and young student dancers with 3D animation and multimedia effects. The ballet will be performed on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. and 6 pm. at San Dieguito Academy High School, sponsored by the city of Encinitas. A performance will also be held on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. at the Ritz Theater in Escondido.
Set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score, the reimagined performance “promises an unforgettable blend of wonder and whimsy for audiences of all ages.” Dancers Alicia Jiang and Anjury Chowdhuri will perform the role of Clara and the audience will tag along on Clara’s Christmas Eve adventure in the Land of Sweets, with twirling fairies, dancing snowflakes, accompanied by the brave Nutcracker Prince. Before the Ritz Theatre performance, audiences will be treated to a special sand animation narration created exclusively for the Encinitas Ballet. The unique feature will be accompanied by a voice-over by one of the company’s talented youth actors, to add a heartfelt touch to the storytelling.
The youth company run by Sayat and Olga Asatyra has brought in Mushegh Avetisyan, an Armenian-born ballet artist to perform in this year’s show. His list of achievements includes a gold medal from the International Music Renaissance Competition in Armenia and the Youth Ballet Competition in Russia.
Encinitas Ballet dancer Ariel Asatryan, a scholarship winner to the Joffrey Ballet and the John Cranko School (the official school of Stuttgart Ballet), will dance the role of the Sugar Plum with Avetisyan. Dancers Elisa Schroedre (Dec.14) and Isadora Russell (Dec 14) and Alyssa Larner (Dec.21) will perform the “Snow Pas de Deux” with Avetisyan.
Encinitas Ballet is offering discounts for military and pre-schools, church groups, Girl Scouts groups or groups of 10 or more. For tickets or more information, call (760) 632-4947 or visit Encinitasballet.com
