The public has six chances to see this favorite holiday ballet.
Butler Ballet will be welcoming new contributors and saying goodbye to a longtime participant at this year’s performances of The Nutcracker, November 30 through December 3 at Clowes Memorial Hall.
Show times are:
Thursday, November 30, at 7:30 PM
Friday, December 1, at 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 2, at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Sunday, December 3, at noon and 5:00 PM
Tickets are $46.50, $28.50 & $21.50. A $3 restoration fee will be added to each ticket. They are available at the box office and through ButlerArtsCenter.org.
This year’s production will feature the debut of new faculty member Ramon Flowers, who is choreographing the Arabian scene. Flowers has been a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet Company and has danced all over the world with Maurice Béjart, William Forsythe, and choreographer Nacho Duato and the Compañía Nacional de Danza de España. He also has been featured in several Broadway shows, including Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Cats, The Lion King, The Green Bird, The Boy From Oz, and Hot Feet, as well as Broadway National Tours with Chita Rivera in The Dancer’s Life, and the original production of A Chorus Line, in the role of Richie.
In addition, Rosanna Ruffo, who was a visiting professor last year and has since joined the faculty, will choreograph the Grand Pas de Deux and the Mother Ginger scene.
Butler Ballet also will be saying goodbye to Stephan Laurent, who has been a member of the Butler faculty for 30 years. Laurent is retiring after the 2017-2018 academic year.
“This will be his last Nutcracker with us, which will be a little bittersweet,” said Larry Attaway, Chair of the Dance Department. “But I’m happy he decided to choreograph his Snow Scene because it’s quite beautiful and something we want to remember him for.”
One hundred twenty-four students in the Butler Dance Department, 37 young dancers from the Indianapolis community, and the Butler Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Clark will be part of this year’s Nutcracker.
Principal roles this year include Kristen Sink (Mount Prospect, Illinois) and Elizabeth Abbick (Leawood, Kansas) alternating performances as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Brian Bennett (Lanham, Maryland) and Joel Morin-Kensicki (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) bringing the Nutcracker to life.
Allison Haan (Holland, Michigan) and Chelsea Kuhn (Noblesville, Indiana) will dance the role of Snow Queen. Royal Hartwig (Lakewood, Illinois) and Benjamin Shepard (Annapolis, Maryland) will be Snow King. The Dew Drop Fairy will be danced by Fiona Huber (Richmond, Virginia) and Courtney Ramirez (Littleton, Colorado), and Colton Rodgers (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Thomas Curran (Bristol, Rhode Island) will play the Cavalier.
Clara will be danced by Kate Barker, who trains at Ballerinas Academy of Dance in Indianapolis and also has been a student at Dance Professor Marek Cholewa’s Summer Intensive program. Last year’s Clara, Chloe Andry, also came through both programs.
“The ability to see and work with these students over a period of time really helps,” Attaway said.
This year’s dancers from the Indianapolis community are:
Mya Adams, Fortville, 12; Ballerinas Academy of Dance
Layla Alte, Indianapolis, 10; Tenacity
Katherine Amos, Plainfield, 10; Infinity Dance Academy
Lily Barker, Noblesville, 13; Ballerinas Academy of Dance
Kate Barker, Noblesville, 13; Ballerinas Academy of Dance
Lauren Bender, Indianapolis, 11; Dance Legacy
Calista Bolden, Indianapolis, 10; Tippy Toes School of Dance
Avalynn Bullerdick, Indianapolis, 11; Infinity Dance Academy
Lila Congrove, Noblesville, 13; Ballerinas Academy of Dance
Hannah Cutler, Noblesville, 10; Ballerinas Academy of Dance
Hazel Derloshon, Greenwood, 10; The Dance Company of Indianapolis
Maggie Derloshon, Greenwood, 13; The Dance Company of Indianapolis
Abigail Dirrim, Avon, 11; Infinity Dance Academy
Jonathon Figueroa, Carmel, 10; Expressenz
Elaina Fletcher, Brownsburg, 12; Dance Legacy
Elizabeth Florido, Greenwood, 9; Tippy Toes School of Dance
Clara Furin, Indianapolis, 7; Indianapolis School of Ballet
Rafael Hadad, Indianapolis, 7; Interactive Academy
Eden Hammond, Indianapolis, 11; Dance Legacy
Anastasia Hobbs, McCordsville, 9; Academy of Dance Art
Clifford Huehls, Indianapolis, 7; Indianapolis School of Ballet
Alexis Koleszar, Indianapolis, 9; The Dance Refinery
Lauren Koleszar, Indianapolis, 9; The Dance Refinery
Charlie Lage, Greenwood, 10; The Dance Refinery
Stella Luther, Greenfield, 6; Dance Magic Performing Arts Center
Leah Maloney, Danville, 9; Children’s Ballet Danville
Sophie Meunier, Noblesville, 11; Wishes Dance Studio
Daniel Pratt, Indianapolis, 8; Indianapolis School of Ballet
Athena Reel, Indianapolis, 10; Phoenix Rising Dance Studio
Adriana Reel, Indianapolis, 9; Phoenix Rising Dance Studio
Cate Schrepferman, Zionsville, 11; Village Dance Studio
Mallory Sisk, Indianapolis, 10; Phoenix Rising
Marley Swearingen, Avon, 10; Infinity Dance Academy
Olivia Tucker, Plainfield, 7; Stage Door Dance Academy
Erin Wagner, Indianapolis, 11; The Dance Refinery
Maura Wheeler, Indianapolis, 9; Fox Hill
Heidi Wilson, Indianapolis, 7; Tippy Toes School of Dance
This year’s Butler Ballet dancers are:
Kathryn Aaberg, sophomore; Ada, Michigan
Elizabeth Abbick, senior; Leawood, Kansas
Isabel Amador, senior; Houston Texas
Claire Barnett, first year; Macomb, Michigan
Claire Bednarek, junior; Denver, Colorado
Livia Bedwell, sophomore; Memphis, Tennessee
Brian Bennett, senior; Lanham, Maryland
Nicholas Bentz, sophomore; St. Louis, Missouri
Erica Bernstein, junior; Enterprise, Alabama
Sasha Biagiarelli, senior; Waterbury, Connecticut
Destiny Billot, sophomore; Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Holloway Bird, junior; Aledo, Texas
Hope Blackburn, first year; Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania
Julia Bluhm, sophomore; Waterville, Maine
Genevieve Bolton, first year; Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland
Denea Boone, first year; Randallstown, Maryland
Katherine Cackovic, first year; Wheaton, Illinois
Jonathyn Carey, senior; Huntsville, Alabama
Adriana Castellanet, sophomore; South Bend, Indiana
Julia Cerra, first year; Cornwall, New York
Ciara Cicalese, junior; Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Fiona Connolly, sophomore; Perrysburg, Ohio
Alexis Cook, senior; Anchorage, Alaska
Thomas Curran, senior; Bristol, Rhode Island
Jessica de Jong, first year; Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Kayla DeGaray, first year; Colorado Springs, Colorado
Gabriella den Blanken, junior; Spring, Texas
Tatum Farlow, junior; Germantown, Tennessee
Emma Fernandez, sophomore; Kansas City, Missouri
Genevieve Ferris, senior; Ellicott City, Maryland
Regan Fleming, first year; Flinton, Pennsylvania
Madeline Gambino, junior; Madison, Wisconsin
Kaila Grant Carter, junior; Bowie, Maryland
Daryl Grob, first year; Snowmass Village, Colorado
Jeremy Gruner, graduate music; Mahomet, Illinois
Julia Guiheen, senior; Madison, New Jersey
Allison Haan, senior; Holland, Michigan
Royal Hartwig, junior; Village of Lakewood, Illinois
Jamie Hengel, senior; Carmel, New York
Kristianna Henthorn, sophomore; Carmel, Indiana
Darius Hickman, first year; Greenacres, Florida
Olivia Holabird, sophomore; Los Angeles, California
Emily Horowitz, first year; Cary, North Carolina
Fiona Huber, senior; Richmond, Virginia
Meredith Hunter-Mason, senior; Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Jamila Johnson, sophomore; Blacklick, Ohio
Sarah Jordan, senior; Oak Park, Illinois
Julia Kilmister, first year; Dunbarton, New Hampshire
Chelsea Kuhn, senior; Noblesville, Indiana
Elizabeth Labovitz, sophomore; Holden, Massachusetts
Peter Larson, first year; Victoria, Minnesota
Natalia Lascano Loor, first year; Equador
Kyra Laubacher, sophomore; Wexford, Pennsylvania
Rebecca Levin, first year; Burbank, California
Sarah Lewis, sophomore; Ballston Spa, New York
Alexandrea Lindsey, first year; Los Alamitos, California
Alexandra Lister, senior; Elmwood Park, Illinois
Tanner Logan, first year; Evansville, Indiana
Madeleine Lucchetti, junior; Falls Church, Virginia
Audrey Lukacz, sophomore; Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Cody Maggiore, first year; Los Alamos, New Mexico
Shaina McGillis, first year; Franklin, Massachusetts
Alexis Meyers, first year; Highland Mills, New York
Francis Mihm, sophomore; La Motte, Iowa
Eliana Montalvo, junior; Modesto, California
Stefanee Montesantos, sophomore; Hinsdale, Illinois
Mary Lyn Moore, sophomore; Cincinnati, Ohio
Kahari Moore, junior; Chicago, Illinois
Joel Morin-Kensicki, senior; Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Sarah Morris, junior; Thousand Oaks, California
Arianna Morrison, sophomore; Riviera Beach, Florida
Nina Nicotera, sophomore; Tampa, Florida
Chiyo Nishida, first year; Osaka, Japan
Carolan Norris, sophomore; Cumming, Georgia
Helena Oliver, senior; Houston, Texas
LiLi Pigott, senior; Alameda, California
Amanda Piroue, sophomore; Newtown, Pennsylvania
Ashleigh Porter, first year; Lawrenceville, Georgia
Lili Poulsen, junior; Covington, Louisiana
Erin Quigley – Reaud, senior; St. Louis, Missouri
Isabelle Ramey, first year; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Courtney Ramirez, senior; Littleton, Colorado
Marie Ritschard, senior; FE Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming
Sophie Robertson, junior; Gig Harbor, Washington
Naomi Robinson, sophomore; Cincinnati, Ohio
Grace Robison, junior; Winona Lake, Indiana
Colton Rodgers, sophomore; Salt Lake City, Utah
Hollie Rudolph, junior; Fort Wayne, Indiana
Molly Rumble, sophomore; Virginia Beach, Virginia
Karnjanakorn Sapianchai, senior; Bangkok, Thailand
Daniel Scofield, first year; Fisherville, Kentucky
Emma Schilling, first year; Cornwall on Hudson, New York
Michela Semenza, sophomore; Waterford, New York
Benjamin Shepard, senior; Annapolis, Maryland
Reily Shields, first year; Decatur, Georgia
Emma Schilling, first year; Cornwall on Hudson, New York
Kentaro Shiozawa, sophomore; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jacob Shoup, first year; Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Kristen Sink, senior; Mt Prospect, Illinois
Madison Spack, first year; Orlando, Florida
Laurel Steinly, first year; Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Ruby Stewart, first year; Lynbrook, New York
Alexandra Tarnowski, senior; Parlin, New Jersey
Laura Theisen, sophomore; Omaha, Nebraska
Ashley Thopiah, junior; Champaign, Illinois
Kassandra Tiedjens, first year; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ashley Tomaszewski, senior; Manistee, Michigan
Graeham Toomey, sophomore; Elmhurst, Illinois
Teryn Trent, first year; Santa Rosa, California
Rebecca Tschan, first year; South Salem, New York
Nathaniel Tyson, sophomore; Dallastown, Pennsylvania
Jorge Urbina, senior; Alpha, Illinois
Erica Walters, first year; Niwot, Colorado
Hayley Weber, first year; Ramona, California
Molly Wells, first year; Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Amber Wickey, sophomore; Tenafly, New Jersey
Briana Winkler, sophomore; Concord, North Carolina
Lydia Wirth, first year; Sewickley, Pennsylvania
Leah Wolfe, junior; Florham Park, New Jersey
Claire Wu, first year; Fremont, California
In addition to Flowers, Ruffo, and Laurent, the choreographers are faculty members Derek Reid, Michelle Jarvis, Susan McGuire, and Cynthia Pratt.
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
