2018 November PASO Magazine

EVENTS
or some, it’s not Christmastime without
the Nutcracker, a ballet that was adapted by
Alexandre Dumas Pére’s of E.T.A. Hoffman’s story
and set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy. A
Russian ballet, it premiered in western countries in
the 1940s and has remained a Christmas tradition.
North County Dance and Performing Arts
Foundation will present its annual production of
the Nutcracker ballet Thursday, Dec. 6 through
Sunday, Dec. 9 at the Templeton Performing Arts
Center on the campus of Templeton High School.
“It’s definitely a family tradition,” Director
Cheryle Armstrong said. “It’s a heart-warming
story. We try to keep it traditional, [though] we
twist it a little.”
The ballet tells the story of a young girl named
Clara who gets a nutcracker from her Uncle Drosselmeyer
on Christmas Eve and is transported to
another world in her dreams.
This year’s cast includes Kaela Tran as Clara,
Jenevieve Crossett as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Billy
Cusimano as Drosselmeyer and Samuel Fulk, a
guest artist from Sacramento, as the Cavalier.
By Heather Young
“He’s fantastic,” Armstrong said. “He’s very musical
and fun.”
The cast for the 2018 season of the Nutcracker
has a record number of dancers, which come from
throughout the entire North County. The cast has
nearly 75 people of all ages, quite a few more than
past years, North County Dance and Performing
Arts Foundation Vice President Cali Domenghini
said. Past years have had 40 to 50 cast members.
What changed it this year, Domenghini said is that
the foundation opened up participation to dance students
around the county. Main Street Dance owner
Jocelyn Willis is one of the production’s choreographers
and she has more than 15 dancers in the cast.
Another change to this production is the addition
of a new assistant director – Taylor Santero.
“Taylor is also our jazz company director,” Domenghini
said. “We’re excited to have her on board.”
While the rehearsals are held at Class Act Dance
in Paso Robles, dancers who train anywhere are
welcome to audition. The only requirement, Armstrong
said, is that dancers have at least one year of
training – that includes even the youngest dancers.
For more information, email
info@northcountyperformingarts.org
NUTCRACKER BALLET PERFORMANCE DATES
• Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.
(open dress rehearsal and student night)
• Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 9 at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $29 for adults and $24 for children
12 and younger and seniors 62 and older.
For the open dress rehearsal, tickets may
be purchased at NCDPAF.org.
SUGAR PLUM TEA PARTY
• Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. at Cantinas on the Park
General admission is $18, get a VIP upgrade
with photos for an additional $5
56 | pasomagazine.com PASO Magazine, November 2018