Event

Nutcracker

Kabby Mitchell III directs the Eastside's most glistening Nutcracker of the season with live orchestra conducted by Barney Blough. Mitchell's expert boost to the all-familiar ballet challenges the Sugar Plum Fairy to keep on her toes not to be eclipsed by Dew Drop whose presence will delight and surprise the eye of young and old. Christina Stockdale and Courtney Dressner perform these two leading roles in the company's two matinees and two evening performances, where the majesty of Eli Barnes reigns as Sugar Plum Cavalier to inspire all the fantastic characters from the Land of Sweets. In his first performance with Ballet Bellevue, Barnes is a guest danseur from Pacific Northwest Ballet School Professional Division 2. Chloe O'Loughlin, age 11, of Marysville, dances the role of Clara. A student at Ballet Bellevue School, Chloe is also a serious ice skater whose smile easily reaches the audience in the last row. Surviving soldiers, mice and canon, she is carried away through the magical land of snow to an unforgettable dream with P. I. Tchaikovsky's most beloved music from beginning to end. Eric Esteb, one of the original dancers celebrating the company's 15th Anniversary Season, is tall enough to be Mother Ginger, thanks to his skill on stilts! Sets by Bruce Jackson are seen at their best with lighting by Kevin Harkins, bringing all the characters to life in their holiday best costumes by Tina Evans.