BECKLEY, WV (WOAY)- The Beckley Dance Theatre and Beckley Performing Arts will be presenting “The Nutcracker” at Woodrow Wilson High School auditorium December 1st-3rd. “The Nutcracker” is a Russian ballet composed by Tchaikovsky that originally premiered in 1892.
It tells the story of a young girl named Marie, or Clara in other versions, is gifted a nutcracker on Christmas Eve. The tale goes on to tell the adventure they take together on that fateful night, but Jerry Rose, the artistic director of their production, explains the meaning behind this tale.
“‘The Nutcracker’ is an experience in becoming a child again, embodies the mystery the excitement of Christmas, the trepidation of the mice that we have stealing the presents. It’s all about fun,” expressed Rose. “It’s all about being young again. Whether you’re eight or 80 or five or 55, everybody will enjoy the beauty, the excitement, the splendor, the elegance of the Beckley nutcracker ballet.”
In the prince’s absence, the Sugar Plum Fairy rules over the land of sweets. This year’s guest artist, assuming the role, is someone who Rose knows very well.
“Her name is Katia Raj. We do have a connection because when she was 12 years old, and I was teaching in New Jersey, I gave her a scholarship to study [Ballet] very seriously, and at age 19, she left America and went to Russia, which was a little girl’s dream. She danced with a Russian ballet company up until the Ukrainian-Russian war,” explained Rose.
Tickets will be available at the door prior to the performances, but you can call the number below to reserve a seat ahead of time.
304-255-5684
If you can’t see it at Woodrow Wilson, they will be bringing the show to the Greenbrier Resort on December 28th and 29th. You can contact the Greenbrier Resort for more details.
