“Peanutcracker – The Story In A Nutshell,” is a kid-sized version of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker,” told in 45-minutes by 50 local school school children. Performed by Sierra Nevada Ballet, there will be performances Friday and Saturday at the Carson City Community Center.
The ballet is written and choreographed by the Artistic Director, Rosine Bena. The Friday shows are designed for for the local schools with performances at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. General public performances take place Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Both are held at the Carson City Community Center, 850 E William St, in Carson City.
Through the generosity of many sponsors, Sierra Nevada Ballet invited thousands of at risk children to attend the performances for free and many others to attend at the reduced rate of $5.
Based on Lev Ivanov‘s original ballet, “The Nutcracker,” this version of the "Peanutcracker" is a 45-minute narrated version that is “specifically designed for families with younger children to introduce them to the wonderful world of ballet,” noted Rosine Bena, Artistic Director of the Sierra Nevada Ballet. Bena wrote and choreographed this traditional holiday show.
Bay Area principal dancers, Terrin Kelly and Luke Lazzaroto, and the Sierra Nevada Ballet professional company of dancers perform this piece along with more than 50 local children.
Tickets are available online at SierraNevadaBallet.org or by contacting the ballet company at 775-360-8663.
The Story in Nutshell
Bena was first inspired to create this special production for families by young audience members. After 25 years of performing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy professionally, Bena came to discover through speaking with young fans that the Nutcracker was often children's first introduction to ballet and often very young children found the full two-hour ballet too long and difficult to follow. Bena produced her first mini version of the Nutcracker with narration in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1993. The short ballet with its growing Christmas tree and animated story telling proved to be very popular. She continued to present this (as the Artistic Director of Perspectives Dance Theatre and The Reno Ballet) to audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area every year through December 2000 until Rosine moved permanently to Nevada and started the professional ballet company, Sierra Nevada Ballet.
Sponsor a Child Program
Through the generosity of many sponsors, Sierra Nevada Ballet was able to invite thousands of “at risk” children to attend performances at the Pioneer Center and the Carson Community Center for free and over 3,000 to attend at the reduced rate of $5. Individuals or businesses who are interested in helping to sponsor free tickets for the Carson City or Reno performances for schools should contact Sierra Nevada Ballet.
About the Sierra Nevada Ballet
Versatile and innovative, Sierra Nevada Ballet is northern Nevada’s professional ballet company and incorporates the popular with the experimental. Always a crowd pleaser, the ballet offers music and different types of dance from well-known classical to new age contemporary original pieces. Sierra Nevada Ballet is supported by the National Endowment for The Arts, the City of Reno, the City of Carson Redevelopment, the Nevada Arts Council, the E.L Cord Foundation, the Carol Franc Buck Foundation, the Marin Foundation, the Wayne L. Prim Foundation, the Sierra Nevada Ballet Academy and Western Nevada Performing Arts Center. Visit SierraNevadaBallet.org online for more details.