Eastern Connecticut Ballet Presents “The Nutcracker”

Eastern Connecticut Ballet is bringing the timeless and beloved “Nutcracker” back to the stage and big screen this year in a unique multimedia production combining live and filmed performances which prioritize the safety of all dancers and audiences!

The classic “Nutcracker” ballet has been captivating and charming audiences for centuries. Tchaikovsky’s celebrated music carries the audience through an enchanting journey as Clara and her new friend, the Nutcracker, travel through a world of splendor, magic, mystery, and sweets!

Just like Clara and the Nutcracker, dancers and audiences have been longing for an adventure during these difficult times; something magical that, for a brief moment, feels like a dream! After a year without the “Nutcracker,” Eastern Connecticut Ballet has created an occasion for the community to come together once again for this classic holiday tradition – but in a totally new and unique way!

The performance will begin with young Eastern Connecticut Ballet dancers on the big screen after being filmed at the Garde Arts Center in November! And then, like magic, special guest artists Sara Mearns (Sugar Plum Fairy), Russell Janzen (Cavalier), and Unity Phelan (Dew Drop Fairy) from New York City Ballet will appear LIVE on the Garde Arts Center stage accompanied by featured Eastern Connecticut Ballet dancers! ECB is incredibly fortunate and grateful to have a continued relationship with dancers from New York City Ballet. ECB Artistic Director, Gloria Govrin, performed under the direction of George Balanchine, and has been directing the “Nutcracker” for decades. The performance this year will be new to audiences, as well as to dancers and artistic staff!

Seventy-five of Eastern Connecticut Ballet’s professionally trained dancers will get the chance to dance in “The Nutcracker” this year, and audiences will see all the memorable characters like the magician Uncle Drosselmeyer, the clownish Mother Ginger, tiny mice, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier, sailors, pirates, waltzing flowers, dancing snowflakes and more! Set in old seafaring New London in the 1850’s, ECB’s “The Nutcracker” brings local history and the arts to the Greater New London community!

This hybrid, multimedia design will ensure the safety of all dancers, guest artists, Garde Arts Center staff, and audiences. Eastern Connecticut Ballet and the Garde Arts Center have taken numerous COVID-19 safety precautions in order to safely and effectively present this production. The Garde Arts Center requires all staff, students, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated in order to participate in the live performance. By filming Act I of “The Nutcracker”, Eastern Connecticut Ballet will be able to include younger dancers in the production who are not yet able to be vaccinated. A fourth show has been added to allow for limited seating with appropriate spacing to safely accommodate for our families, friends, and audience members. Patrons of the Garde will also be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours upon entrance to the lobby on the day of the performance.

Join the Garde Arts Center December 11th at 1:30pm and 7:00pm, and December 12th at 11:00am and 4:30pm!

To share all of the magic of “The Nutcracker” with friends and family this December, visit gardearts.org/events/the-nutcracker/ or call the Garde box office at 860-444-7373, Ext 1
______________________________________________________________________________

Eastern Connecticut Ballet is a nonprofit organization and one of the state’s premiere schools for dance. www.easternctballet.org