Tickets for the Saint Augustine Ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker” are now on sale.
The ballet returns to Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, Dec. 18 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $30, with a $5 discount for ages 65 and over, and 12 years and under. Tickets are available for purchase at www.saintaugustineballet.com or by calling 855-222-2849.
This year’s production of the beloved holiday classic features local dancer Eléa Woodward in the role of Clara. A 13-year-old student at Fruit Cove Middle School, Woodwad is the daughter of John and Virginie Woodward.
Special guest artists Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg and Carlos Miguel Guerra, meanwhile, will dance the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier.
“I’m excited for our student dancers to work with Carlos and Jennifer and for our audiences to see such accomplished dancers on stage in St. Augustine,” Artistic Director Luis Abella said. “We’re very lucky to have been able to book such high caliber dancers for our production this year.”
Kronenberg trained at the School of American Ballet before joining Miami City Ballet in 1994 as an apprentice. She rose to the rank of principal dancer, a position she held from 2001 to 2016.
Guerra is a native of Cuba, where he began his training at the Professional School of Ballet and Plastic Arts in Camaguey, Cuba. He was a principal dancer with Miami City Ballet from 2003 until 2016, performing most of the lead male roles in their repertoire.
Returning to the role of Herr Drosselmeyer is Orlando Molina, associate school director of the Georgia Ballet. He has extensive international dance education, stage performance, and teaching experience. Molina received his Diploma as a Dancer/Teacher from the Cuban School of Ballet and performed around the world as a principal dancer before settling in the United States to teach and perform.