PRESS RELEASE | Chelsea, Mich. – Ballet Chelsea will present its 17th annual Nutcracker performance during Chelsea’s Hometown Holiday weekend, December 5-7th. Performances will be held Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances are held at Chelsea High School Performing Arts Complex located at 740 N. Freer Road in Chelsea. In addition to this family-friendly, narrated ballet, choreographed by Ballet Chelsea Artistic Director, Wendi DuBois, are several ancillary activities that will contribute to the holiday spirit bursting through the commons area of Chelsea High School.
On Saturday, cellists from Cumming String Studio will perform live starting at 1 p.m. Light refreshments will be available for purchase in the Sweet Shop and keepsake items (tiaras and decorated ballet slippers) can be purchased in the Snow Shop.
On Sunday, a Sugar Plum Tea will be served at 12:30 p.m. for $12. Doors will open atnoon.
During both performances, carnations will be available for purchase for either $5 or $10 as well as $10 raffle tickets for a chance to win the “soon to be retired” American Girl Doll of the Year, Isabelle Palmer. For more details, visit the Ballet Chelsea website at balletchelsea.org.
Christmas lights and winter décor will contribute to the timeless Christmas story about to be performed by nearly 70 accomplished dancers, aged 7 to 18, from Chelsea and the surrounding area. Based on the book The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman and set to music by Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker tells the story of a Christmas Eve long ago. A young girl named Marie receives a wooden Nutcracker as a gift from her godfather, Herr Drosselmeier. The ugly but enchanted Nutcracker takes Marie on a marvelous journey — from the Stahlbaum’s lively festivities, complete with dancing mechanical dolls, to a tense midnight battle between toy soldiers and menacing mice, finally arriving at the court of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Kingdom of Sweets. Through it all, Marie learns a lesson about the everlasting power of love and the magic of Christmas.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.balletchelsea.org/tickets, at Ballet Chelsea’s studio, and at the door. Adult tickets are $20 and student/senior tickets are $15.
About Ballet Chelsea
Ballet Chelsea is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization which provides professional-level dance training to young dance students, through performance opportunities, enrichment activities, master classes, summer intensives and pre-professional studies. Ballet Chelsea is proud to be supported by the Wilkinson Foundation and the Worthington Family Foundation. For additional information, visit www.balletchelsea.org.