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November 16, 2018 – Regina, SK
Conexus Arts Centre
National Presenting Partner

Welcome Message from the Artistic Director
Welcome to our performance of The Nutcracker:
A Canadian Tradition!
Every year Canada’s Ballet Jörgen is privileged to be
able to bring people together and help build stronger
communities through dance as we share this and other
ballets with over fifty thousand Canadians from coast
to coast. The Nutcracker is a wonderful holiday tradition
for so many Canadians and is often a child’s first
experience with ballet. For this reason, we are so pleased
to incorporate dance students into this production as so
many professional dancers start their careers as young
performers in The Nutcracker!
A few years ago I thought about creating a Canadian-inspired Nutcracker, one
that would connect this wonderful ballet to our own heritage. I am particularly
delighted to have created a ballet connected to one of my own favourite
pastimes — canoeing in Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Sue LePage, our Set & Costume
Designer, and Heinar Piller, Stage Director, have contributed largely to the creation
of this unique re-imagining. Thank you also to Clea Iveson for suggesting the use
of Group of Seven paintings as a backdrop for our stunning and dramatic Canadian
landscapes, and to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for their help in making
this uniquely Canadian production possible.
I am also indebted to the loyal supporters of Canada’s Ballet Jörgen who have
demonstrated extraordinary financial support for this ballet, including the late
Ann & Lyman Henderson. This performance is made possible with the generous
touring support of the Ontario Arts Council.
Thank you for making The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition part of your holiday
season. We hope to see you again on March 26, 2019 as we return to perform
Coppélia: A Comedy with Love.
Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy the show.
Warmest regards,
Bengt Jörgen
Cover: Akari Fujiwara as Clara, photo by Kamal Daid.
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About Canada’s Ballet Jörgen
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen is a classical ballet company that aims to make ballet
accessible and relevant to 21st century audiences.
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen delivers programming in all 10 of Canada’s provinces as well
as into the United States. Every year the Company tours from coast to coast travelling
over 50,000 km to reach underserved communities. Canada’s Ballet Jörgen enriches
our lives by bringing professional ballet to communities — large and small, urban
and rural. Known for the warmth and beauty of its productions, CBJ reaches every
province, delivering more than 1,500 performances, ballet classes and community
engagement events involving over 60,000 participants annually.
Unparalleled Dance Training
George Brown Dance is a partnership between
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and George Brown
College. Our programs offer exceptional
professional technical training in the heart
of downtown Toronto. With over fifty percent of dance contracts in Ontario, Toronto
offers extraordinary opportunities to aspiring performers. Students can Earn their
College Diploma or Certificate Specializing in: Classical Ballet, Contemporary Dance
and Urban & Commercial Dance.
The unique leadership of Canada’s Ballet Jörgen’s expert instructors produces
dancers with the skills, confidence and connections necessary for employment in
this wide range of dance performance settings.
To learn more visit: canadasballetjorgen.ca and georgebrowndance.ca.
Photos by Kamal Daid.
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen Artistic Staff
Artistic Director & CEO Bengt Jörgen
Company Dancers Junior Gaspar Caballero˘, Kenny Chung˘, Hannah Mae Cruddas˘,
Daniel Da Silva, Jordan Faye, Akari Fujiwara˘, Elizabeth Gagnon, Adrián Ramírez Juárez˘,
Annelie Liliemark, Heather Lumsden-Ruegg ~˘, Momoka Matsui˘, Joshua Phillips**
Leandro Prado, Ayva Rossouw-Holland ~˘, Hiroto Saito, Márcio Teixeira°*
Ballet Master Hiroto Saito
Principal Ballet Coach Svea Eklof
Stage Direction Heinar Pillar
Artistic Working Group Daniel Da Silva, Annelie Liliemark, Hiroto Saito
Footwear Assistant Ayva Rossouw-Holland
Mentorship Students Jade Chaplin ~ , Adam Davidson ~ , Sierra Goldak ~ , Rachel Schilberg ~
° RBC Foundation Apprentice Dancer
* Appears courtesy of the Coastal City Ballet Program at Pacific DanceArts Inc.
**Courtesy of The Royal Winnipeg Ballet/Gracieuseté du Royal Winnipeg Ballet
˘ Past RBC Foundation Apprentice Dancer
~ George Brown Dance Graduate
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen Staff
General Manager Stephen Word
Director of Touring Cameron Smillie
Education Manager Clea Iveson
Production Manager Cindy Smith
Business Services Aleksandra Maslennikova
Program Manager, George Brown Dance Derek Sangster
Dance Program Coordinator Kia Kotsanis
Education Coordinators Victoria Campbell Windle & Elise Tigges
Marketing Services Dana Ginsberg
Bookkeeper Irene Lockrey
Stage Manager Sarah Samborsky
Technical Director Jason Schneider
Lighting Director Cosette Pim
Wardrobe Supervisor Chelsea Conn
Hamilton & Kitchener Coordinator Allyson Wenzowski
Ottawa Coordinator Kita Szpak
Regina & Saskatoon Coordinator Jim Hodges, Roadside Attractions Inc.
Board of Directors
Chair Mara L. Nickerson
Vice-Chair Rob D. Brouwer
Past Chair David Aylward
Chair, Finance & Audit Committee Heather Baker
Directors Salvatore Badali, George Bothwell, Jane Cooke-Lauder, Luigi Ferrara,
Kevin Goldthorp, Daisy Heungˆ (Director in training), Kathy O’Brian, Alexandra Panousis,
Elaine M. Todres, Helene Vukovich
Special Advisor to the Artistic Director & CEO Alden Hadwen
Atlantic Advisory Board Janice Flemming, Leila Kovacevic, Eddy Ng, candice prior
Honorary Trustees Steven Carter, Richard W. Dodds, William B. Harris, Buchanan Henderson,
Corey Keeble
Co-Founders Bengt Jörgen & Susan Bodie
ˆ Girls On Boards, G(irls)20 Programs
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canadasballetjorgen.ca | 5

Canada’s Ballet Jörgen Dancers
Junior Gaspar Caballero
Asuncion, Paraguay
Company Member
since 2015
Junior is a graduate of
Canada’s National Ballet
School, where he studied
on a full scholarship
awarded to him due to
his extraordinary talent. Junior has won awards
at several prestigious national and international
ballet competitions, including the Gold Medal
in classical ballet and Best Dancer at the XIII
National Ballet Competition in Paraguay, the
Gold Medal at the XVII International Dance
Competition in Argentina and finalist at the
2012 Prix de Lausanne.
Junior joined the CBJ Junior company in 2014, and
was promoted to company dancer the next year.
Junior’s roles with CBJ include Carabosse’s
Minion in Sleeping Beauty, title role, Lumberjack
and Raccoon in The Nutcracker: A Canadian
Tradition, and Jester in Swan Lake.
Kenny Chung
Seoul, South Korea
Company Member
since 2017
Kenny graduated from
Kay-won High School of
Arts in Korea, and completed
third grade ballet
at Sejong University’s
Department of Dance. In 2013, Kenny won the
Korea Dance Teacher Association Gold Medal
and in 2012 Gold Medal with The Korea Professional
Ballet Association. In 2014, Kenny danced
with the Korean Ballet Theatre in New Jersey
and with the Seoul Dance Festival.
Kenny was a CBJ Junior Company Member in
2015 and wasan RBC Apprentice.
Hannah Mae Cruddas
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Company Member
since 2013
Hannah Mae began her
dance training with the
Maritime Conservatory of
Performing Arts School
of Dance and the Leica
Hardy School of Dance. In 2009, she joined
Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto.
Hannah Mae was honoured to be the youngest
recipient of the Society of Russian Ballet’s Nesta
Toumine Memorial Award and at 14, was a semifinalist
in the Genée International Ballet Competition.
She was also privileged to be the recipient
of the Jan Wicha Memorial Cup and Nova Scotia
Talent Trust’s Lieutenant Governor’s Award for
Excellence in the Arts. At home, she danced the
title role in Alice (Dearborn), the Ragdoll Queen
in The Nutcracker (Hardy), and worked with
Kennet Oberly and Otar Beridze. Her Toronto
repertoire credits include Peggy Baker’s 5 Views
of a Temple Garden, Petipa’s La Bayadere and
Paquita, and Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat.
Daniel Da Silva
São Paulo, Brazil
Company Member
since 2009
Daniel began his ballet
training in 2005 in Santa
Barbara D’Oeste with Ana
Rita Da Silva and in 2007,
Daniel received a full
scholarship to train at Pacific Dance Arts in
Vancouver with Li Yaming. In 2009, Daniel
competed at the Youth America Grand Prix in
NYC, finishing in the top twelve. He was offered
a full scholarship to participate in the summer
program at Jacob’s Pillow. Daniel was also a guest
dancer for two seasons with Ballet BC, performing
a premiere piece by James Kudelka and the
classical ballets Carmen and Peter Pan. Daniel
has also performed variations from Flames of
Paris, Swan Lake, Raymonda, Don Quixote and
Coppélia.
Daniel’s repertoire with CBJ includes the leading
role of Florimund in Sleeping Beauty, Prince and
Suitor in Cinderella, Romeo and Mercutio in
Romeo & Juliet; Siegfried, Pas de Trois & Spanish
Dancer in Swan Lake, Dimitri in Anastasia, and
Lord Birch in The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition.
Daniel also starred in the short film The Marvelous
Girl which was produced by CBJ and debuted at
the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Akari Fujiwara
Aichi, Japan
Company Member
since 2017
Akari started dancing
at the age of three and
trained at the Shiho
Kanazawa Ballet Studio
until the age of 14. Akari
then spent two years at the Koninklijke Ballet
School in Antwerp, Belgium before moving to
Toronto to study at Canada’s National Ballet
School. Akari was a CBJ Junior Company
Member in 2016 and an RBC Apprentice last
season.
Akari’s roles with CBJ have included Flower,
Snowflake, & Dragonfly in The Nutcracker:
A Canadian Tradition and Cygnet & Mazurka
Dancer in Swan Lake.
Elizabeth Gagnon
Kingsville, Ontario
Company Member
since 2015
Elizabeth graduated from
the Professional Ballet
Program at Canada’s
National Ballet School
in 2010. In 2012 she
completed the graduate program at the English
National Ballet School in London, England. Since
then, she has danced with White Birch Ballet
Company, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
(Nutcracker), The National Ballet of Canada
(Sleeping Beauty), and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen
since 2013. She is member of Hit and Run
Dance Production, and has performed at the
New Blue Dance Festival with Compagnie Kunal
Ranchod and this past year with The Chimera
Project.
She has been lucky to do various dancing roles
on Canadian television shows including, Reign,
The Listener, Mary Kills People and Titans. She
has also been a part of various video projects;
Ryan Enn Hughs Project 360 and Fast Romantics
‘everybody’s trying to steal your heart.’
Elizabeth’s roles with CBJ include various roles
in Sleeping Beauty, and Mazurka Dancer and
Swan Core in Swan Lake.
Adrián Ramírez Juárez
Mexico City, Mexico
Company Member
since 2014
Adrián trained under
Irasema de la Parra at the
Royal Academy of Dance
where he graduated with
Distinction and was
a medallist in the prestigious Attitude International
Ballet Competition. Adrián has danced in
Montreal where he toured in Les Grands Ballets
Canadien’s Nutcracker and with Ballet de Montreal
where he was a Soloist Dancer. Previously, Adrián
danced with Taller Coreografico de la UNAM in
Mexico City.
Adrian was a guest dancer for Symphony Nova
Scotia’s Nutcracker in 2016 & 2017.
Adrián’s repertoire with CBJ includes Carabosse
in Sleeping Beauty, Paris in Romeo & Juliet,
Von Rothbart & Spanish Dancer in Swan Lake,
Hannah Kiel’s Conversation 1, and various roles
in The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition.
Annelie Liliemark
Nacka, Sweden
Company Member
since 2012
Annelie began her training
at Balettakademien in
Stockholm, Sweden
in 1998 and joined the
Royal Swedish Ballet
School in 2002. She is the recipient of the Agda
Cecilia Rilton Scholarship (2007) and the Carina
Ari Scholarship (2008, 2009). From 2010 to
2012 Annelie was a member of the Royal Swedish
Ballet where she performed in The Nutcracker,
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Swan Lake,
The Rite of Spring and Coppélia.
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A 2011 graduate of the Royal Swedish Ballet
School, Annelie attended summer intensives
at The Gotland International Dance Seminars,
Visby, Sweden (2007, 2008); the International
Summer Course at Canada’s National Ballet
School (2009); and The Bartholin International
Dance Seminars at the Royal Danish Theatre
(2010 on scholarship, 2011). She was a finalist
at the Stora Daldansen Ballet Competition in
Falun, Sweden (2010).
Annelie’s repertoire with CBJ includes Bridesmaid
in Romeo & Juliet, Stepsister in Cinderella,
Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty, Raccoon & Lady
Birch in The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition, and
Pas de deux.
Heather Lumsden-Ruegg
Newmarket, Ontario
Company Member
since 2013
Heather trained at the
Peter Stanton School of
Dance in Newmarket
before moving to the
George Brown Dance
program in 2009. In 2010, Heather performed
as a Local Participant in a CBJ production and
Joined CBJ as an RBC Apprentice in 2012.
With CBJ, Heather has performed various roles
in Sleeping Beauty, Tall and Small stepsister in
Cinderella, Raccoon in The Nutcracker: A Canadian
Tradition, and Czardash & Spanish Dancer in
Swan Lake.
Momoka Matsui
Fukuoka, Japan
Company Member
since 2015
Momoka began her dance
training at the Yukiko Kato
Ballet School in her home
country of Japan. Under
Kato’s mentorship she
performed major roles in The Nutcracker, Paquita,
Harlequinade and Coppélia. In 2009 she was the
silver medal winner of the Ballet Competition
Fukuoka, and the Bronze Medal holder of the 2010
and 2013 NAMUE Classical Ballet Competition.
Momoka was awarded the renowned Fukuoka
Prefectural Governor Award in 2012. She then
joined a Russian concert tour produced by
Morihiro Iwata and had the opportunity to dance
at many prestigious ballet schools, including the
Moscow Ballet Academy.
Momoka joined CBJ as a member of the Junior
Company then RBC Apprentice in 2014, before
being promoted to Company Member in 2015.
Momoka’s roles with CBJ include Blue Bird,
Humming Bird and Canary in Sleeping Beauty;
Lead Fairy in Cinderella; Lady Birch, Dragonfly and
Trillium Flower in The Nutcracker: A Canadian
Tradition; and Pas de Trois, Cygnet, and Neapolitan
Dancer in Swan Lake.
Momoka is sponsored by Marie-Elle Carrothers
through the Sponsor-a-Dancer Program.
Leandro Prado
Altamira, Pará, Brazil
Company Member since
2016
Leandro began taking
ballet lessons at the age
of 15, and moved to Rio
de Janeiro at 16 to study
with Ronaldo and Rachel
Martins Ribeiro, soloists from the Municipal Ballet
Theater of Rio de Janeiro. Leandro has won prizes
at several competitions, including the National
Brazilian Dance Competition and The Enesdança
Dance Competition, and won a full scholarship
to the Joffrey Ballet School in New York at the
International Ballet Competition. In 2012, he
was accepted to the Maria Olenewa State Dance
School and performed with the company in John
Cranko’s Onegin and Enrique Martinez´s Coppélia.
He also received a contract for the 2014 Season
to dance in Dalal Achcar´s The Nutcracker.
Leandro joined the Workshop de Ballet Clássico
da Amazônia in Brazil in 2012 and danced the
lead roles in The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère,
Swan Lake and Don Quixote. In 2013 Leandro
was accepted to Com La Danza mas Desarrollo
Social, an Argentinian dance company directed
by Iñaki Urlezaga. Leandro has also performed
as a guest dancer at many major national festivals,
including dancing the principal role of the
Nutcracker Prince with the Albany Berkshire
Ballet in 2015. In 2014, Leandro joined Damz
Dance Company under the Artistic Direction of
Ronaldo Martins.
Leandro’s roles with CBJ have included Snow
Cavalier, Wolf, Male Snowflake, and Bear in
The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition and
Henchman and Mazurka Dancer in Swan Lake.
Ayva Rossouw-Holland
Victoria, British Columbia
Company Member
since 2013
Ayva studied at the Pacific
Dance Centre in Victoria
and attended summer
intensive programs at The
Royal Winnipeg Ballet,
the Banff Centre and the Alberta Ballet. In 2011,
Ayva graduated from the Dance Performance
Studies program at George Brown College and
joined CBJ as a Mentorship Student. In 2012
Ayva became a RBC Apprentice.
Ayva was a guest dancer for Symphony Nova
Scotia’s Nutcracker in 2016 and 2017.
With CBJ, Ayva has performed various roles
in Sleeping Beauty, Cygnets & Mazurka Dancer in
Swan Lake, Flower & Snowflake in The Nutcracker:
A Canadian Tradition, and the Conductor in
Robert Desrosiers’s Bouffonia.
Ayva is sponsored by Pivot Sport Medicine and
Orthopaedics through the Sponsor-a-Dancer
Program.
Hiroto Saito
Kobe, Japan
Company Member
since 2007
Hiroto began dancing at
the Sadamatsu Hamada
Ballet School in Kobe,
Japan at age 7 and went
on to study at the English
National Ballet School in London, UK. Upon
graduation, Hiroto joined the Hong Kong Ballet
under the direction of Stephen Jefferies, and
throughout his career he has worked with internationally
recognized figures such as Wayne
Eagling, Alexander Grant, and Suzanne Farrell.
Hiroto first met Bengt Jörgen while he was
dancing with the Hong Kong Ballet in Bengt’s
Romeo & Juliet and joined CBJ in 2007.
Hiroto’s repertoire with CBJ includes many
principal roles, including the Romeo and Mercutio
in Romeo & Juliet, Nathaniel and Dr. Coppélius
in Coppélia, Dimitry in Anastasia, the Prince and
Suitor in Cinderella, Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty
and Lord Birch in The Nutcracker, A Canadian
Tradition. During CBJ’s 25th anniversary season,
Hiroto was involved in creating many roles in
the company’s new production of Swan Lake,
in which he performed the principal roles of
Siegfried and Von Rothbart.
In 2017, Hiroto transitioned into the role of
Ballet Master at CBJ, taking on a more creative
role with the company as well as performing
on stage.
In addition to his role as a leading dancer, Hiroto
also teaches and coaches dance students around
the world. During the summer of 2013, he taught
for Damansara Performing Arts Centre in Malaysia
and has been a teacher, private coach, and
rehearsal master for CBJ’s Summer Intensive and
Junior Company since 2012. Hiroto has also choreographed
many works such as 05:46 for Hong
Kong Ballet, Lost and Found for George Brown
Dance, and Lord of the Rings for Toronto Youth
Ballet/Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra. He was
also the choreographer for The MarvelousGirl, a
short film produced by CBJ that was partof both
The Cannes Film Festival and The Montreal World
Film Festival. In 2011 Hiroto organized Dance
for Japan, a fundraiser performance with CBJ to
support earthquake relief in Fukushima, Japan.
Apprentices
Márcio Teixeira
São Caetano, Brazil
Márcio started dancing at
the Núcleo de Convivência
Menino Jesus in Brazil
when he was 10. In 2008
at age 14, he went to his
first ballet school, Escola
de Ballet Sandra Amaral
in São Caetano do Sul/SP. In 2012 he studied at
Pacific DanceArts in Vancouver, BC and in 2015
graduated at the English National Ballet School
in London, England and danced with Coastal
City Ballet in Vancouver, BC from 2015–2018.
Márcio was a member of Canada’s Ballet
Jörgen’s Junior Company in 2017 and 2018
where he earned his apprenticeship with the
company for the 2018/19 Season.
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Jorden Faye
Montréal, QC
Jordan first started
dancing professionally
in France at the age of
11 at the Conservatoire
National de Danse de
Lyon. He then moved
to Montréal to pursue
dance at l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec.
During his journey in Montréal Jordan
participated three times in the prestigious
dance competition, Youth America Grand Prix.
He was offered a scholarship by the Palucca
School in Dresden where he stayed for five
months. During and after his training at school
he participated in The Nutcracker with Les
Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. He
also worked with Le Ballet de Québec in
their productions of Snow White and Sleeping
Beauty where he interpreted the role of
the prince. Jordan first participated in Ballet
Jörgen’s summer intensivein 2017 and was
offered an apprentice position contract the
following year.
Mentorship Students
Jade Chaplin
Jade was born and raised
in Dartmouth, Nova
Scotia where she began
her dance training at
a local studio at age 4.
Growing up, she was
trained in Ballet (RAD),
jazz and contemporary. She had opportunities
to perform multiple roles in productions at
her home studio which brought her to fall in
love with dance and performing. She attended
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen’s Summer Intensive IV
in 2015. Having loved the training over the
summer, she then enrolled in the Dance
Performance Studies program at George
Brown College in 2016 and is now furthering
her training with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen’s
Mentorship program. Jade is incredibly thankful
for this opportunity and everyone who has
supported her throughout her dance journey.
She is looking forward to an exciting year.
Adam Davidson
Adam was born and
raised in Zephyr Ontario
and started dancing at
the age of 10 at York
Dance Academy. He
has trained in a variety
of different styles such as ballet, contemporary,
jazz, and hip-hop. He was a competitive dancer
throughout his time spent training at York Dance
Academy and performed multiple times in the
schools rendition of the Nutcracker. Through
performing dance he also discovered a love for
vocals and acting, which would later turn into
a love of musical theater. He also worked as a
hip-hop teacher at the studio Dance Creations
from 2013-2018. Adam auditioned for the
George Brown College P101 dance certificate
program which he later completed along with
the P105 diploma program the following two
years. Adam is excited to be joining Canada’s
Ballet Jörgen as one of their mentorship students
in the upcoming 2018/2019 season and he
looking forward to the new experiences and
challenge that come with it.
Sierra Goldak
Sierra grew up dancing in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
under the direction of
Hazel-Ann Stark, Linda
Erickson, and Heather
Myers. She trained in
various genres and
competed in regional
and provincial competitions. In the past few
years she has attended several summer
intensives, including Canada’s Ballet Jörgen,
Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Goh Ballet, and the
Trisha Brown Dance Company summer
intensive. In 2018 she graduated from the
Dance Performance program at George Brown
College. Sierra is delighted to join Canada’s
Ballet Jörgen as a mentorship student for the
2018-19 season.
Rachel Schilberg
Rachel Schilberg began
dancing in tap and
ballet at the age of 3 at
Coquitlam Ballet school.
When she was 6 yeas
old she moved to
Vancouver Island, where
she began training at
local studios Parksville Ballet School and
Qualicum Beach School of Dance. She trained
in multiple styles including ballet, tap, jazz,
modern, contemporary, character and stage.
Rachel became part of local youth dance
George Brown Dance
2018-19
AUDITIONS
companies such as Helix dance theatre and
Eclat youth dance company. These programs
allowed her to work with various guest artists
and teachers from abroad. She also participated
in summer intensives at the Goh Ballet
and Ballet Classique. Rachel auditioned for
George Brown Dance and Canada’s Ballet
Jörgen’s summer intensive in 2016. After
beingaccepted she moved to Toronto, where
she later graduated from the 2-year Dance
Performance studies program in April of 2018.
Rachel is looking forward to her season as
a mentor with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen.
Diploma & Certificate
Summer Dance
Junior Company
canadasballetjorgen.ca/
education/auditions
Unparalleled Dance Training
Urban & Commercial | Classical | Contemporary
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canadasballetjorgen.ca | 10
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 11

Synopsis
Act I
It is Christmas Eve 1912, in the small village of Bisset, Ontario, north of Algonquin Park.
The community is preparing for a holiday celebration and rare respite from every-day
hard labor. People are gathering, a Christmas tree is cut and everyone heads to the
school house for the festivities. Klara, a young girl recently orphaned and sent to Canada
to join her older sister, arrives.
With the party already in full swing, Klara is warmly welcomed by everyone except by
the daughter of the one well-to-do couple in the community, with whom Klara’s sister
is employed as a maid. The celebrations are interrupted by the arrival of a painter who
brings handmade toys for the kids and a painting for his sweetheart, the local school
teacher. Klara is left without a wooden toy, since she is an unexpected arrival but then
she brings out the one heirloom from her home, a beautifully decorated Nutcracker.
This immediately makes her the centre of attention. Jealous, the rich girl grabs the
Nutcracker and in a fit of anger throws it into the wood stove. An inconsolable Klara
stomps off, hides behind a school desk and falls asleep. As the Party comes to an end
and everyone is leaving, Klara’s sister is growing worried. When she cannot find her
sister she rushes out together with the painter and the teacher to look for Klara.
–INTERMISSION–
Act II
Klara wakes to find all the snow gone and the forest in full summer bloom. Amazed, she
wakes the Nutcracker. The ice has turned to water with beavers, frogs and squirrels
guiding Klara and the Nutcracker ever deeper into the forest until they come face to
face with Lady and Lord Birch. Klara and the Nutcracker, explaining that they are lost,
are welcomed to stay to meet some of the animals and flowers of the woods. Raccoons,
loons, dragonflies, bears, flowers, a giant spruce tree and the small animals living under
its branches, entertain the two guests of the forest. Finally Lord and Lady Birch sway
their majestic crowns in a twirling pas de deux. Klara is exhilarated by the warm welcome
and applauds them all. Bidding farewell, Klara and the Nutcracker fall asleep as they are
escorted out of the forest by two bears.
When Klara wakes up she finds the school house deserted and growing cold. She is all
alone! She notices the beautiful coat of the painter. As she puts it on, her world starts
to change. Creatures of the wood are intruding; giant sized toys come alive and from
the stove pops a life size Nutcracker. She is no longer alone. She has a friend! Together
they have to face the attacks of King Bat and his cunning compatriots. A wild battle
ensues, ebbing back and forth. Bowling pin Mounties join the fray, but it is Klara and
the Nutcracker who save the day and defeat King Bat. As the walls of the school house
fade away, Klara and the Nutcracker enter the beautiful snow covered forest on a sleigh
drawn by white tailed deer. Out of the snow beautiful snowflakes appear, mesmerizing
and blowing Klara and the Nutcracker deep into the forest. As the snow starts to fall,
Klara and the Nutcracker are lost. Tired they fall asleep in the snow.
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When Klara wakes, she is alone, back in the school house. It was all just a dream! She
runs to the window, but sees no one, as she disappointedly turns back she notices her
old wooden Nutcracker on the school desk and remembers her dream — she is not
alone — her new world is full of beauty — places, people and creatures to meet!
Photos, opposite page by Cynthia Smith, Don Mills Camera Club. This page: Adrián Ramírez Juárez & Taylor Gill as the loons.
Photo by Kamal Daid.
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The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition Cast
In order of appearance
ACT I
SNOW QUEEN & CAVALIER
Hannah Mae Cruddas, Leandro Prado
WELL-TO-DO FAMILY
DAUGHTER
FATHER
Ayva Rossouw-Holland
Leandro Prado
SNOWFLAKES
Daniel Da Silva, Akari Fujiwara, Elizabeth Gagnon,
Adrián Ramírez Juárez, Heather Lumsden-Ruegg,
Momoka Matsui, Ayva Rossouw-Holland,
Márcio Teixeira
MOTHER
MAID
FARMING FAMILY
SON
MOTHER
FATHER
DAUGHTERS
LUMBER JACKS
WOOD CHOPPING GIRL
YOUNG WOMAN
YOUNG GIRL
GRANDMA
GRANDPA
Elizabeth Gagnon
Annelie Liliemark
Brett Stadnyk
Momoka Matsui
Adam Davidson
Meghan Lehmann, Katherine Russel
Junior Gaspar Caballero, Adrián Ramírez Juárez
Samantha Dauphin
Akari Fujiwara
Madisson Kitching
Heather Lumsden-Ruegg
Hiroto Saito
ACT II
*BEAVERS
*FROGS
*SQUIRRELS
*BEAR CUB
LORD & LADY BIRCH
RACCOONS
LOONS
*YOUNG DRAGONFLIES
DRAGONFLY
BEARS
MOTHER SPRUCE
Samantha Dauphin, Aubrey Stewart
Ava Caporicci-Josephson, Annie Michell
Tatem Airey, Victoria Dominguez, Geneva Michell,
Oona O’Brien
Hope Olson
Daniel Da Silva, Annelie Liliemark
Junior Gaspar Caballero, Akari Fujiwara
Elizabeth Gagnon, Adrián Ramírez Juárez
Sanai Minor, Abigail Wilson
Momoka Matsui
Leandro Prado, Márcio Teixeira
Sierra Goldak
IMMIGRATION AID
KLARA
SCHOOL TEACHER
PAINTER
SOCK BUNNY
RATS
HORNED OWL
NUTCRACKER PRINCE
RED FOX
Sierra Goldak
Kiri Wilkie
Hannah Mae Cruddas
Daniel Da Silva
Katherine Russel
Samantha Dauphin, Madisson Kitching
Akari Fujiwara
Brett Stadnyk
Heather Lumsden-Ruegg
*CHIPMUNKS
TRILLIUM FLOWER
FLOWERS
WHITE TAILED DEER
*Local Youth Participant Role
Touring Youth Participant Role
Casting subject to change
Grace King, Alexandra Kitz, Aubrey Stewart,
Madison O. White
Momoka Matsu
Junior Gaspar Caballero, Hannah Mae Cruddas,
Akari Fujiwara, Elizabeth Gagnon,
Adrián Ramírez Juárez, Heather Lumsden-Ruegg,
Leandro Prado, Márcio Teixeira
Madisson Kitching, Meghan Lehmann
SKUNK
Márcio Teixeira
WOLF
Adam Davidson
MOOSE
Annelie Liliemark
SKIPPING ROPE HANDLES
Elizabeth Gagnon, Momoka Matsui
MOUNTIES
Junior Gaspar Caballero, Sierra Goldak,
Ayva Rossouw-Holland, Hiroto Saito
KING BAT
Adrián Ramírez Juárez
*WHITE TAILED DEER
Meghan Lehmann, Oona O’Brien
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 14
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 15

The Nutcracker Production Credits
Choreography: (After Petipa & Ivanov) Bengt Jörgen
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Costume & Set Design: Sue LePage
Lighting Design: Bonnie Beecher
Stage Direction: Heinar Piller
Creative Assistant: Clea Iveson
Scenic Carpentry: Hamilton Scenic Specialty
Backdrops: Scenic Drop Studios, Richard Mongiat, Elizabeth Bailey, Katherine Lilley,
Set Electrics: Wireless Automation & Control Scenic Electronics
Costume Coordinator: Industry Costumes
Wardrobe Buyer: Susan Rome
Costume Construction Industry Costumes, Brenda Clark (cutter)
Assisted by: Adrienne Baker, Geoffrey Davis, Marion Schoeler Arana Enterprises,
Angela Arana, Yeo Lan Kwee, Linda Kirby, Maria Colella, Avril Stevenson, (cutter)
Millinery: Monica Viani, Assisted by: Katie Spreitzer
Dyeing: Chrome Yellow
Props Builder: Viola Frazier
Special Thanks: The many local & parent volunteers, SaskExpress Regina Studio for their
audition support, Pivot Sport Medicine and Orthopaedics and Sara Lawson MPT, BSc(Biol),
B A(Psyc), CAFCI, BDN, GTP, Dance Physiotherapist and Educator, Empower Physiotherapy,
Regina
YES! I want more
performances, education
& community events!
Make a donation to CBJ
programming:
canadasballetjorgen.ca
/donation
The Nutcracker, A Canadian Tradition was developed in collaboration
with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The backdrops used
in this production were inspired by “Church and Houses at Bisset”
(Franklin Carmichael), “Trees and Wildflowers” (L. L. Fitzgerald), and
“Snow in the Woods” (Tom Thomson).
Nutcracker Youth Education Program Credits
Youth Cast on Tour with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen:
Emma Bray-Brezina Star Dance Academy – Scarborough, ON
Lily Bray-Brezina
Star Dance Academy – Scarborough, ON
Ava Daly
Dimensions in Dance – Guelph, ON
Samantha Dauphin Meyerhofer Academy of Performing Arts – Cambridge, ON
Julia Gravina
Jennifer’s Arts in Motion – Whitby, ON
Madisson Kitching
Grand River Dance Academy – Fergus, ON
Jayde Lazier
In Studio NBoC – Toronto, ON
Meghan Lehmann
Carousel Dance Centre – Waterloo, ON
Katherine Russel
Burlington Dance Company – Burlington, ON
Noah So
The Dance Centre – Kitchener, ON
Brett Stadnyk
George Brown Dance – Toronto, ON
Kiri Wilkie
Contemporary School of Dance – Kitchener, ON
Rehearsal Directors: Kimberly Dyer, Madi Gibson, Clea Iveson, Caitlin Marziali, Elise Tigges,
Victoria Wells-Smith
Rehearsal Assistants and Chaperones: Jade Chaplin, Adam Davidson, Sierra Goldak,
Rachel Schilberg
Local Volunteer Rehearsal Masters:
Ontario: Emma Shrubb – Brantford, Brandi Matheson & Pat McLeod – Guelph, Sarah Sordoni –
Hamilton, Donna Bayley & Krista Conti – London, Kristyn Felushko – Markham, Renee Chayer –
North Bay, Lisa Brooks – Ottawa, Lindsay Storms – Peterborough, Kathie Maves - St. Catharines
Saskatchewan: Melissa Wallace – Swift Current, Samantha Manolescue – Weyburn,
Melissa Bang – Regina, Brianne Schroeder – Saskatoon
Local Studio Space Provided by:
Ontario: Dance Steps, Kathie’s Just Dance Academy, Royal City School of Ballet and Jazz,
Renee’s Dance Connection, Studio 505, The Markham School of Dance, The School of Dance,
Waterdown Dream Centre
Saskatchewan: Dance Saskatchewan Inc., Marley’s Dance Effex, SaskExpress Regina Studio,
The Dance Studio of Swift Current, The Dance Zone
Nutcracker Youth Education Local Program
Local Youth Participants: Tatem Airey, Ava Caporicci-Josephson, Victoria Dominguez, Grace
King, Alexandra Kitz, Annie Michell, Geneva Michell, Sanai Minor, Oona O’Brien, Hope Olson,
Aubrey Stewart, Madison O. White, Abigail Wilson
Local Youth Participant Understudies: Tatem Airey (Dragonfly), Ava Caporicci-Josephson (Bear
Cub), Grace King (Frog), Annie Michell (Chipmunk), Madison O. White (Bear Cub), Abigail Wilson
(Squirrel)
Local Youth Participants courtesy of: Class Act Studios, Doris Sitter School of Dance,
SaskExpress Regina Studio, Youth Ballet of Saskatchewan
Local Rehearsal Direction volunteer: Melissa Bang
Local rehearsal space courtesy of: SaskExpress Regina Studio
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 16
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 17

Thank you to our Donors
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen would like to give our most sincere gratitude to all our partners,
sponsors, and individual donors who have helped us advance the art and appreciation
of ballet and Canadian choreography through performance, education and outreach.
For more information on how you can play a part, please contact Stephen Word
General Manager at 416 415 5000 ext.2857 or stephen@balletjorgen.ca.
Major Gifts($10,000+)
Aeroplan Beyond Miles Program
The Bennett Family Foundation
BMO Financial Group
Canada Council for the Arts
Charles H. Ivey Foundation
Estate of Cornelius Anderson Silber
Margaret Anne Fountain, C.M. &
David Glenn Fountain, C.M.
The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain,
CC ONB
J. P. Bickell Foundation
Bengt Jörgen
KPMG
The Michael Young Family Foundation
Ontario Arts Council
Ontario Trillium Foundation
RBC Foundation
TD Bank Group
TEVA Canada
Toronto Arts Council
Pirouette ($5,000+)
Captain Printworks
CIBC
Richard & Martha Hogarth
The Linda Frum and Howard Sokolowski
Charitable Foundation
Scotiabank
Arabesque ($1,000+)
Doris A. Arnold
Judith Gelber
David & Robyn Aylward
Salvatore Badali
Heather Baker
Gayle Boxer Duncanson & Andy Duncanson
Robert & Teresa Brouwer
Marie Elle & Douglas Carrothers
Jane Cooke Lauder
Ms. Cheryl L. Costa
Dance Teq
Discotoast Inc.
Janice & Brian Flemming
Lynne Golding & The Honorable Tony Clement
Mr. Kevin R. Goldthorp
Buck & Kathleen Henderson
Mara & Colin Nickerson
candice prior
Diana Reitberger
S.M. Blair Family Foundation
Nora R. Stearns
Elaine Todres
David & Cathy Windross
Helene Vukovich
Maxine Goldberg
Tendu ($500+)
Anonymous x2
Jeanie Davis
Findlay Family Foundation
Ms. Georgina Geldert
Ms. Kamala Jean Gopie
Nona Heaslip
Jeffrey Horton
K. Corey Keeble
Mr. Gerald Kilby
Rob Koppel
Dawn Frail & Tim Margolian
Terrence Paris
Mr. Brian G. Sambourne
Ms. Cristina C. Silber
Ms. Miriam A. Skey
Russel Walsh
Mary Jane Warner
Kathy O’Brien
OPG Employees’ & Pensioners’ Charity Trust
Plié ($100-$499)
Alexa Translations
Anonymous x 7
Katherine Barber
Suzanne Bishop
Dr. Paul Briggs
Ms. Heather Brooks Hill & Mr. Jeremy Carver
Peter Caldwell
Joza & David Cohen
Sarah Crawford & David Kirkwood
James J. Cruddas
Ms. Deborah Davis & Mr. Edward Cruddas
Margaret H. Dickenson
Allison & Jim Dingle
James & Maureen Dunn
Cecil Fennell
Lorne Fox
Jocelyn Gibson
Jacob Gow
Ronald & Sherry Haynes
Victoria Henderson
Penny Hillier Ward
Courtney Hogan
Ann Hogarth
Margaret S. Holland
Morgan & Sheila Hultquist
Trevor Johnson & Tina Oates Johnson
Cathy Killough in memory of Emily Whittome’s
Granny Dee
Mr. Glen King
Ann Kittredge
Loblaws Dupont
Mr. Patrick Lonergan
Ms. Genevieve Macaulay
Dewey Mai
Ms. Alison McGregor
Deborah McIntosh
Virginia & Peter McLaughlin
Olja & Michael Muller
Anthony & Cyndie Pasquarella
Phyllis Pereira
Svetlana Popolitova
John & Lori Ryerson
Dale Sellars
T. Clayton Shields
Rosemary & David Spendlove
Jane Spooner
Astrid Stec
Michele Villeneuve & Don Dobson
Stephen Word
Other Gifts
Holly Anderson
Anonymous x 2
Ann Chambers
Judith C. Cole
Barbara Cook
Hannah Draper
Caden Drewett
Karen Feder
Nathalie Fournier
Dawn Frail & Tim Margolian
Stephanie Gerstein Schecter
Rea Gill
Catherine Glasser
Jennifer Gravina
Christina Halladay
Lauren Halladay
Camille Harrison
Rebecca Hefferton
Daisy Heung
Michal Leneman
Marlene Lobban
Diana Locke
Regina Mak
Jessica Margolian
Mrs. Kerstin Mayberry
Stephen & Julie McKay
Richelle Miller
Anne Morais
Grace Oosthuyzen
Joyce & Tom Orchard
Susan Pekilis
Vivian Poon
John Patric Price
Marjorie E. Sorrell
Robert Stephens
Karyn Sumner
The Printing House
Lorraine Trotter
Jerry Veitch
Laurence G. Wade
Angela Woodley
Sandra Zarvie
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 18
canadasballetjorgen.ca | 19

Our 2018 Programming Supporters
National Presenting Partner
Saskatchewan Nutcracker Youth Education Partner
Government Partners
RBC Emerging Artist Project
Creation Partner
Atlantic Youth
Programming Partner
Education Partner
Travel Partner
Dancer Sponsor and
Health & Wellness Partner
Childhood Cancer Canada
Performance Partner
We thank Aeroplan for its ongoing
support through the Aeroplan
Member Donation Program
Programming Partners
Media Partner
Sponsorship &
Audition Support
Official Dry Cleaning Sponsor
Special Thanks
Foundation Partners
The Bennett Family Foundation | J. P. Bickell Foundation | S.M. Blair Family Foundation
Findlay Family Foundation | The Linda Frum and Howard Sokolowski Foundation
Charles H. Ivey Foundation | The Leonard Foundation
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen
George Brown College, Casa Loma Campus
160 Kendal Avenue, Building C, Room 126
Toronto, ON M5R 1M3
Tel: 416-961-4725 E-mail: info@balletjorgen.ca
canadasballetjorgen.ca
Registered Charitable # 118798586RR0001