The Nutcracker at GSU. (PHOTO SUPPLIED)
University Park, IL-(ENEWSPF)- The Sugar Plum Fairy. A dashing Prince. Swirling snowflakes and twirling candy canes. A child’s Nutcracker who comes to life in a night of holiday marvels.
All these beloved characters are coming to the Governors State University Center for Performing Arts as Salt Creek Ballet’s critically-acclaimed production of “The Nutcracker” returns for two performances on Saturday, December 10 at 1 and 5 p.m.
Salt Creek Ballet brings its magnificent sets, costumes and talented cast of more than 75 dancers from throughout the Chicago area. The production also features guest soloists, Ilya Kozadayez and Emily Bowen, from Houston Ballet. Special holiday concessions and photos with Santa Claus are available for purchase throughout the afternoon. Theater-goers can also sing along with holiday carolers.
Set to Tchaikovsky’s splendid score, “The Nutcracker” is a classic fairy tale ballet about young Clara and her magical Christmas Eve journey. Salt Creek Ballet’s production of this holiday favorite has won the hearts of GSU Center audiences for several years. The Chicago Tribune has called Salt Creek’s “The Nutcracker” production “a plum performance,” and the Naperville Sun has heralded Salt Creek Ballet as “a first-rate dance company that should be seen and enjoyed by all.”
Single tickets to the show are $15 to $40 for adults and $15 to $35 for children 16 and under. For subscription and single ticket information call GSU Center’s friendly Box Office staff at (708) 235-2222 or visit www.centertickets.net. GSU Center is located at 1 University Parkway (Governors Highway and University Parkway), 45 minutes south of the Loop, off I-57 at Sauk Trail. Parking is free.
Patrons who purchase single, regular price tickets for three or more shows (Mainstage, cabaret, opera and/or Especially for Kids series) in GSU Center’s 2011-2012 season will receive a $10 gift certificate to be used for future ticket purchases. Limit one voucher per household, and additional restrictions may apply.
Salt Creek Ballet presents professional quality dance programming to Chicagoland audiences, provides high-level performance opportunities for Chicago area dancers, and encourages appreciation and awareness of dance in underserved areas. The Company was established in 1985 as a vision of its Founder/Director Emeritus Patricia Sigurdson, who trained at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London and in New York City with Frederick Franklin and Chicago ballet legend Robert Joffrey. After dancing professionally with the renowned American Ballet Theatre and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Sigurdson assembled a core of professionals and community leaders to develop a strong, vibrant regional ballet company that performs a wide range of classical and contemporary works for tens of thousands of individuals.
Salt Creek Ballet continues to grow under current Artistic Directors Sergey Kozadayev and Zhanna Dubrovskaya, who trained at the famed Vaganova School in St. Petersburg, Russia. Salt Creek Ballet’s alumni have become members of The Royal Ballet, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Washington Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Joffrey Ballet. Salt Creek Ballet has a performance company, dance academy, summer intensive program, and community outreach programs. For more information, visit saltcreekballet.org.
