Members of the Kansas Youth Dance Company will bring to life “The Nutcracker” tonight at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
The local dance company, featuring students from Cooper Studios Dance Center, will perform E.T.A. Hoffman’s classical story of a young girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and his fierce battle against the Rat King. The ballet features Tchaikovsky’s famed musical score.
The curtain rises at 7 o’clock.
The Kansas Youth Dance Company is CSDC’s “company class” — the studio’s more advanced students who have auditioned for the special performance — explained artistic director Jesse Cooper.
The troupe has been rehearsing for “The Nutcracker” since CSDC’s fall session began.
“I’ve really been wanting to bring the company class more toward ballet, and with more special performances,” Cooper said.
Those dreams naturally led Cooper to “The Nutcracker,” considered by many one of the most famous ballets of all time.
Tonight’s performance features Emma Weseloh as Clara, the ballet’s protagonist; Kendall Jay as the Nutcracker Prince; Kayla Callahan and Bridget Brazil as the Rat King and his successor, with Callahan also serving as the Sugar Plum Fairy; and scores of local dancers, many of whom have graced the Bowlus stage on numerous occasions.
The performance is nearly sold out, Cooper said.
To check on ticket availability — they are $10 apiece — contact Cooper via e-mail at cooperstudiosdancecenter@gmail.com, or by telephone at 365-7180.
“We’ll be checking our phone messages throughout the day, but it would really be easier to contact us through e-mail,” said Jeanne Cooper, CSDC’s executive director and Jesse Cooper’s mother.
