by Noella Noelophile®
(Photo ©2023 by George Simian, and used with permission of San Pedro City Ballet.)
This Christmas season, San Pedro City Ballet celebrates three decades of magic.
And you’re invited, this weekend, to their 30th-anniversary edition of The Nutcracker!
Their opening curtain rises, this Friday evening, December 8th, at 7:00 at San Pedro’s historic Warner Grand Theatre.
(royalty-free image by fradellafra from Pixabay.)
That evening, and on Saturday and Sunday, the troupe will take audience members through a Christmastime dream, with four performances.
A magical Christmas tree glows gold as it reaches towards the ceiling. Snowflakes twirl across the stage. Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Arabian dancers all have their time in the spotlight. Mice get into mischief, leading up to a fierce battle between their king and the title character.
(Photo courtesy of George Simian, and used with permission of San Pedro City Ballet.)
And at the heart of it all is a young girl, in a fanciful Christmastime dream–complete with a handsome prince.
Here is the link for more information about this weekend’s Nutcracker performances, which include two evening shows and two matinees.
But while this year’s four performances of The Nutcracker promise to be something special, San Pedro City Ballet is in the business of creating magic, year-round.
Teaching youth to dream
(Royalty-free image by Yana from Pixabay.)
With a free dance-education outreach to local schools, after-school programs and Boys and Girls Clubs, nonprofit SPCB inspires youth to excel.
Annually, they offer a Spring Recital, where members of San Pedro City Ballet and San Pedro Ballet School perform alongside 150 youth from SPCB’s DancEd Steps Up Program.
And you may know their most famous alumnus: Misty Copeland, of American Ballet Theatre!
(Royalty-free image by Annette from Pixabay.)
In this 2020 interview, recorded at the height of the pandemic, San Pedro City Ballet Co-Founder and Artistic Director Cindy Bradley shares the story of first discovering Misty’s talent during a dance class at the local Boys and Girls Club.
Meanwhile, about this week’s performances…
(Royalty-free image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.)
When you attend The Nutcracker, what you’ll be supporting is, quite literally, a labor of love.
San Pedro City Ballet holds open auditions for Nutcracker performances every August. and everyone is welcome. Numerous volunteers are involved in coordinating the performances.
And this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, more than 5,000 audience members will get to explore Clara’s magical world. In addition to selling tickets, San Pedro City Ballet donates them to school groups, nonprofits and military families.
Onstage will be about 300 children and youth–and 75% of the young performers are from low-income households, according to SPCB’s website.
Last but not least–this is going to be a breathtaking show! As evidenced by San Pedro City Ballet’s past performances and clips on their YouTube channel.
Come experience the enchantment.