Dance Kids Presents Nutcracker; A Monterey Peninsula Tradition

Dance Kids of Monterey County is celebrating its Silver Anniversary year with the premier of an exciting collaboration with the Monterey County Pops! Orchestra. Four performances at Sunset Center will combine a 39 piece orchestra and over 80 dancers, actors and musicians in the holiday extravaganza.

Beginning with auditions in September, Dance Kids of Monterey County and the Monterey County Pops! are immersed in activities surrounding all things Nutcracker; A Monterey Peninsula Tradition. The dancers and actors, 39 musicians and a maestro, 10 professional stagehands and technicians, and over 60 volunteers join forces to make each performance magical. Dance Kids' traditional Friday morning performance, offered to over 700 under-served children, is their annual gift to the community.

Adults and children of all ages from the Monterey Peninsula and beyond enjoy the beauty of the Sunset Center and the opportunity to be captivated by the lure of Tchaikovsky's music, performed by Monterey County Pops!, Andrea Paris Gutierrez's choreography, Joanne Phelps sumptuous costumes, and Nicole Bryant-Stephens magical sets. The age old story of Nutcracker, adapted to the history of the Monterey Peninsula, comes alive with this full-scale production complete with the live orchestration.

The elaborate stage elements and intricate lighting unleash the viewers' imagination by providing exciting visual effects; the Christmas tree that grows with Clara's wish, the magical appearance of the Nutcracker Prince, the comic figure of Mother Ginger (the costume requires handling by three people once the actor is seated six feet above the stage floor) - as well as the continuous flutter of the purest snowflakes which are swept up and conserved after each performance for reuse.

While these technical achievements are wonderful and fun, it is the beauty of the choreography and the technical excellence of our pre-professional dancers that sustains the ballet through two acts. Act I introduces the characters — the Stahlbaum children, Clara and Fritz, Herr Drosselmeyer and his extraordinary magic, John Steinbeck, Salvador Dali, Louis Armstrong; all guests of the legendary owner of the setting of our first act, the Del Monte Hotel, Sam Morse — and also begins the transition from reality into fantasy with the concluding Snowflake Waltz. Act II offers the complete transformation. We have entered the "Kingdom of the Sugarplum Fairy" and there is no turning back.

The popularity of the Dance Kids of Monterey County's Nutcracker; A Monterey Peninsula Tradition is immense, and as they celebrate their Silver Anniversary year, it provides an unforgettable spark to everyone's holiday season.Tickets: Adult $49

Student (13-18)/Military (Active duty with ID)/Seniors (60+) $45

Child (12 & under) $35