Yanela Pinera
Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) presents it’s annual performance of The Nutcracker, featuring a twist this year — a dancer swap with the Queensland Ballet in Australia.
Thanks to collaboration between Ben Stevenson, artistic director for TBT, and Li Cunxin, artistic director for Queensland Ballet, two dancers from each company will switch places for two performances.
TBT’s Samantha Pille and Jiyan Dai will travel to Australia the week of Dec. 16 and Queensland Ballet’s Yanela Pinera and Camilo Ramos will perform the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Nutcracker Prince on Dec. 20 and 22 at Bass Performance Hall with the rest of TBT’s cast.
The Nutcracker is a two-act classical ballet, based on both E.T.A. Hoffman’s tale of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816). This performance is brought to life by TBT’s Stevenson, and features music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The show will include special effects to create a magical mist during the snow scene, as well as set pieces that fly through Clara’s dreamland. Students from Texas Ballet Theater School will play the children roles on stage.
The full-length, kid-friendly ballet lasts about two hours and includes a 20-minute intermission. A “Wiggle Room” is available for restless children to play while still watching the performance via a screen.
Certain performances feature a Kingdom of Sweets with crafts, story time with a ballerina and other activities one hour prior to showtime included with ticket. Other performances have a VIP add-on opportunity for a backstage tour, drink tickets and special gift.
Performances will take place at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth (Dec. 8-10, 14, 16-17, 20-24) and at Winspear Opera House at AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas (Nov. 24-26, Dec. 1-3).
Tickets range from $20-$115 and are available at www.texasballettheater.org or 877-828-9200.