Scranton Civic Ballet Company will perform its 36th annual presentation of “The Nutcracker” on Dec. 9 and 10 under the artistic direction of Helen Gaus. The non-profit dance company performance at The Theater at North is made possible in part by a generous sponsorship from FNCB Bank.
Dancing in the Principal roles are, clockwise from bottom left: Emma Long as Coffee; Ava Stout as Dew Drop; Sasha Roumyantseva as Snow Queen; Natalie Micknick as Spanish, Rachel Stopper as Sugar Plum Fairy; Robert Zaloga as Nutcracker and Cavalier, Kelly Lesjack as Ribbon Candy; Reilly Ancherani as Chinese, and Lauren Beck, Olyphant as Russian.
Brooke Provinzano of Dunmore was recently featured in a principal role in the 35th annual presentation of “The Nutcracker” by Scranton Civic Ballet Company under the artistic direction of Helen Gaus.
The non-profit dance company performance at The Theater at North was made possible in part by a generous sponsorship from Toyota of Scranton.
Shown, dancing in principal roles are, clockwise from top left: Alexis Green, Lilly McDonald of Dunmore; Meta Mihalchick, Robert Zaloga, Abby Lazecki, and Brooke Provinzano.
Lilly McDonald of Dunmore will be among the principal dancers when The Scranton Civic Ballet Company presents its inaugural collaboration with WVIA TV. The station will professionally produce and air the ballet company’s 34th annual presentation of The Nutcracker under the artistic direction of Helen Gaus.
WVIA will air The Nutcracker on Sunday, Dec. 20, at 6 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 24 at 8 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 25 at 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 27 at 2 p.m.
In addition to Ms. McDonald, principal dancers include Rachel Stopper, Meta Mihalchick, Laflin, Alexis Green, Robert Zaloga, Abby Lazecki, and Brooke Provinzano.
The new alliance is made possible by a generous COVID Creative Community Grant from Lackawanna County Council on the Arts. Due to social distancing guidelines, the Scranton Civic Ballet Company is not able to perform live and in-person this year, but in the spirit artistic director Gaus instills in her students every day “The show will go on!”
A performance prerecorded in early December will air numerous times throughout the holiday season, courtesy of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station WVIA.
Another tradition that lives on: The Scranton Civic Ballet Company’s commitment to education. The nonprofit dance company annually hosts an educational performance of “The Nutcracker” for 1,200 school children at no charge. This year, schools will receive a digital link to enhance their virtual curriculum with this artistic performance.
Previously, student musicians from area school had been invited to perform on site, prior to the live ballet. This year, high school band directors throughout the region are invited to showcase their student ensembles performing an excerpt of related music by Tchaikovsky. Schools and band directors interested in these opportunities are directed to contact Scranton Civic Ballet Company studio at 570-343-0115.
To learn more about the Scranton Civic Ballet, located at 234 Mifflin Avenue, Suite 1, Scranton, Pennsylvania, visit www.scrantoncivicballet.com or call 570-343-0115.
This project was supported by a Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Community Grant, a program of Lackawanna County Commissioners Jerry Notarianni, Debi Domenick, Esq. and Chris Chermak.
