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Nutcracker casting at Segerstrom Center


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From the company:

Casting Announced for American Ballet Theatre's Performances of The Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes lead opening night cast

December 10 – 20, 2015 in Segerstrom Hall; tickets go on sale September 13

COSTA MESA, CA – Casting for American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker, co-presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts and ABT, was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director. Choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, The Nutcracker will be given 14 performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, December 10-20, 2015.

Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes will lead the opening night cast of The Nutcracker dancing the roles of Clara, the Princess and Nutcracker, the Prince, respectively. Subsequent casts include Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside, Isabella Boylston and Alban Lendorf, Stella Abrera and Alexandre Hammoudi, Hee Seo and Cory Stearns, Misty Copeland and Herman Cornejo and Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak in the leading roles. At the matinee performance on Saturday, December 12, Isabella Boylston and
Alban Lendorf will dance the roles of Clara, the Princess and Nutcracker, the Prince for the first time with ABT. Lendorf, a principal dancer with Royal Danish Ballet, will join ABT as a Principal Dancer in September.

Principal Casting for The Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center the Arts

Artists and program are subject to change.

Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Veronika Part
Marcelo Gomes

Saturday, December 12 at 2 p.m.

Isabella Boylston*
Alban Lendorf*

Sunday, December 13 at 1 p.m.

Stella Abrera
Alexandre Hammoudi

Friday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Gillian Murphy
James Whiteside

Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Veronika Part
Marcelo Gomes

Sunday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Gillian Murphy
James Whiteside

Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Hee Seo
Cory Stearns

Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Isabella Boylston
Alban Lendorf

Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m.

Stella Abrera
Alexandre Hammoudi

Sunday, December 20 at 1 p.m.

Hee Seo
Cory Stearns

*Indicates debut in role

Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Misty Copeland
Herman Cornejo

Friday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Sarah Lane
Joseph Gorak

Saturday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Misty Copeland
Herman Cornejo

Sunday, December 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Sarah Lane
Joseph Gorak

The Nutcracker, set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, features choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, scenery and costumes by Richard Hudson and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. This production was given its World Premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House on December 23, 2010, led by Gillian Murphy as Clara, the Princess and David Hallberg as Nutcracker, the Prince.

Center President Terrence W. Dwyer said, "We are so pleased to introduce a new Orange County holiday tradition by presenting American Ballet Theatre’s prestigious and acclaimed production of The Nutcracker. This ballet holds a very special place in the hearts and memories of audiences and will continue to inspire a new generation of dance fans. And we are especially thrilled that students from our ABT William J. Gillespie School will share the stage with the celebrated ABT dancers.”

The engagement of The Nutcracker continues an on-going relationship between Segerstrom Center and American Ballet Theatre. The company has appeared at the Center 23 times, beginning in 1987. At the Center, ABT gave the world premiere of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Swan Lake in 1988, the West Coast premiere of Kevin McKenzie’s new production of The Sleeping Beauty in 2007 and the world premiere of a new production of Firebird by Alexei Ratmansky in 2012. In 2008, the Center and ABT co-commissioned Twyla Tharp¹s Rabbit and Rogue, receiving its world premiere in New York and West Coast premiere at the Center. In 1999, the ABT production of Le Corsaire was taped in Segerstrom Hall for broadcast on PBS’ Dance In America, winning an Emmy Award. In 2003, The Dream was also taped at the Center for broadcast on Dance In America.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker start at $29 and will go on sale Sunday, September 13 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. Free Preview Talks will be conducted by Elizabeth Kaye one hour prior to each performance. Artists and program are subject to change.

Segerstrom Center’s International Dance Series is made possible by: Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. This engagement is presented with lead underwriting support from William J. Gillespie. Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Kia, the Official Automotive Partner of the Center and United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Center. Classical KUSC and COAST Magazine are Media Partners of the International Dance Series.

American Ballet Theatre gratefully acknowledges Lead Underwriter of The Nutcracker, David H. Koch as well as Linda Allard for her generous support of costumes for The Nutcracker. Additional support is generously provided by Joan Taub Ades and Alan M. Ades, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation and Brian and Darlene Heidtke are Co-Underwriting Sponsors of The Nutcracker. A gift as Co-Underwriting Sponsor of costumes for The Nutcracker has been provided in loving memory of Ellen Everett Kimiatek, The Nutcracker is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

American Ballet Theatre is one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 400,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so.

Over its 75-year history, the Company has appeared in a total of 132 cities in 50 countries and has performed in all 50 states of the United States. ABT has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagements in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre became America’s National Ballet Company®.

Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, is the largest orchestra formed in the United States in the last 50 years, and is recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scene as well as in its own community of Orange County, Calif. Pacific Symphony offers moving musical experiences with repertoire ranging from the great orchestral masterworks to music from today’s most prominent composers, highlighted by the annual American Composers Festival and a series of multi-media concerts called “Music Unwound.” Pacific Symphony is dedicated to developing and promoting today’s composers and expanding the orchestral repertoire – illustrated through its many commissions and recordings, in-depth explorations of American artists and themes. The Symphony’s innovative approaches to new works received the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming in 2005 and 2010. In 2010, Pacific Symphony was named one of five orchestras profiled by the League of American Orchestras in a study on innovation. Since 2006, the Symphony has performed in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, designed by Cesar Pelli with acoustics by Russell Johnson. In March 2006, the Symphony embarked on its first European tour – receiving an unprecedented 22 rave reviews.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization and owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Judy Morr Theater, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ ongoing Free for All series. The American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center opens in 2015.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. The Center’s arts-in-education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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I received an email from Segerstrom regarding the casting changes. They have offered to waive exchange fees if your cast was changed which is nice offer, though I think regular exchanges are only $5/ticket and subscribers are charged $2/ticket (which is minuscule). Here is the text of the email:

Dear ABT Ticket Holder,
Because we know ballet lovers often purchase tickets based on which dancers are performing in a particular show, we would like to update you with the current casting for the roles of Clara and the Nutcracker Prince for American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker.

Artists and program are subject to change.

Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Veronika Part
Marcelo Gomes

Saturday, December 12 at 2 p.m.

Isabella Boylston*
Joseph Gorak

Sunday, December 13 at 1 p.m.

Stella Abrera
Alexandre Hammoudi

Friday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Gillian Murphy
James Whiteside

Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Veronika Part
Marcelo Gomes

Sunday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Gillian Murphy
James Whiteside

Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Hee Seo
Cory Stearns

Thursday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Isabella Boylston
Joseph Gorak

Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m.

Sarah Lane
Daniil Simkin

Sunday, December 20 at 1 p.m.

Hee Seo
Cory Stearns

*Indicates debut in role

Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Misty Copeland
Herman Cornejo

Friday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Stella Abrera
Alexandre Hammoudi

Saturday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Misty Copeland
Herman Cornejo

Sunday, December 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Sarah Lane
Daniil Simkin


If you have purchased your tickets based on a dancer you wanted to see perform, but has now moved to a different date and time, we will gladly exchange your tickets to a new performance of The Nutracker. Please call our Ticket Services Office at (714) 556-2787 (10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily) and our customer service representatives will be happy to help you exchange your tickets and will waive the normal exhange fees. We encourage you to make any exchanges as soon as possible for best seating availability.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused by this casting update and thank you for your support of ballet at Segerstrom Center

I'm not sure how much moving has actually occurred as my dates stayed the same, though Abrera/Hammoudi moved to one weeknight and I would have preferred getting tickets to that to avoid the higher weekend prices--oh well. I'm just wondering how much uproar is actually caused by this movement which is all too common with ballet companies and they've never seem to care before. Is it an attempt at goodwill for the future, or ...?

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That's pretty much true, vrsfanatic. There's no incline in the first several rows in the orchestra section so, depending on your height and whether you have someone tall sitting in front of you, you could lose part of the stage in those rows. However, my season tickets are in the second row and I rarely have this problem.

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I always had better luck with orchestra seats in a less expensive section starting with row R. On those occasions when I had more expensive tickets that were closer to the stage (row E-H) I had my views blocked by a tall person seating in front of me. I would also recommend choosing the seats as centered as possible. The side seats close to the exit doors give an angled view of the stage which might be less than ideal.

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Tall people in the orchestra section? OK, that would be me (6' 3 1/2"). Sorry!--I always try to hunch down when the curtain goes up. Anyway, will be there Saturday evening 12/12 to see Veronika and Marcelo!

And side seats? Me, I like my longtime side seat. "Less than ideal," yes, quite so; but there are certain plusses to the un-ideal: One gets a rather different experience of the performance proper from what one would get on, say, a DVD or the like, which can be thought-provoking and perhaps can give insights of one sort or another. Also, it's fun to be able to see a bit into the wings and observe what's going on there; and being close to the end of the row and freedom has benefits beyond anything mere words can express . . .

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Tall people in the orchestra section? OK, that would be me (6' 3 1/2"). Sorry!--I always try to hunch down when the curtain goes up.

I didn't mean any offense to tall people and apologize if my statement came across as such. My intention was only to state the fact that the raking of orchestra front was not that great but I failed to rightly explain it. And thank you for being considerate of people seating behind you.

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Gomes has posted some gorgeous footage of him and Part rehearsing that notoriously tricky overhead lift in the PDD:

https://www.instagram.com/p/-7DVBZiufF/?taken-by=marcelua

I saw that, too. Please compare it with the one-armed lift that starts at 1:24 in this rehearsal clip from several years ago. Mosina and Tyukov are both Russian-trained (she at Bolshoi, he at Perm). I saw them do it again last weekend and it's as amazing as ever. I've heard this referred to as the (a?) Grigorovich lift, but am not sure where that name originated. In any event, Ratmansky's Russian roots are very evident in that passage:

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I've been looking at both clips again and again...Marcelo seems to struggle so much to get her up in the air from a very deep squat. It almost makes you wonder if the running start by Maria makes that a little easier -- although the timing and coordination have to be absolutely perfect. Marcelo and Veronica also seem to be struggling with her balance once she's overhead, which might be why he doesn't let go with his left arm. Maria and Alexei have a collection of one-armed lifts I've seen them do in other ballets. A truly amazing partnership.

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It's a dead lift that Marcelo has to perform. She can offer no help. That's difficult and Veronica is long-limbed and not the tiniest of dancers. Once she's up there, the ballerina is responsible for holding herself. Additionally, in the Colorado Ballet choreo, the male dancer takes about five steps. Marcelo has to cover the length of the room with her in the air.

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It's a dead lift that Marcelo has to perform. She can offer no help. That's difficult and Veronica is long-limbed and not the tiniest of dancers. Once she's up there, the ballerina is responsible for holding herself. Additionally, in the Colorado Ballet choreo, the male dancer takes about five steps. Marcelo has to cover the length of the room with her in the air.

Yes, I think it's simply choreographed differently in the Ratmansky PDD. The adult Clara runs up to the Nutcracker Prince, but she doesn't jump into his arms. It's always a dead lift. It definitely has the potential to look awkward when the male dancer spends too much time setting up the lift. The Colorado choreography has the advantage of looking like one fluid movement. What I prefer about the Ratmansky version, though, is that Clara stays upright the whole time and doesn't squat near the male dancer's shoulder before popping up into the position. I can't recall whether any of ABT's male dancers have ever released their left arm.

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I'm seeing several casts next weekend at Segerstrom and will be watching for that lift. When a partner as experienced and super-strong as Marcelo struggles, it makes you wish for something you could enjoy watching! Isn't there a lift somewhat like that in Sylvia that is set-up off-stage before they walk on?

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Yes, I was thinking of the same thing! Unfortunately, the full-length Sylvia has been taken off of YouTube because I was curious to see the exact position in which the ballerina is held.

When I've actually seen Gomes and Part perform that pas de deux, Gomes has executed the lift more cleanly than most others, so I expect they will be in top form by opening night. Other male dancers have struggled to execute the sections where he spins the ballerina around following the Grigorovich lift, yet Gomes has always done it beautifully with Part, who is not a small dancer.

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From someone who has done that lift, it can be terribly difficult, not because of strength, but timing. The woman has to 'step' down at exactly the same time as the man lifts up. If it is even a fraction of a second off, it's awkward and usually won't work at all. You can see in the clip with Gomes that Part's left leg pushes out and the knee and leg don't go straight down as Gomes starts pressing up. Maria and her partner time it perfectly. Each dancer has their own little quirks which add to the unique partnering style of that dancer. For that lift to look effortless, both partners have to be perfectly in tune with each other. Even long time partners who have done that particular lift many times can still have trouble with it if one is having a bit of an off day. I've danced the Grigorovich Nutcracker as well as Spring Waters and traditionally not had issues with that lift (other than the obvious uncomfortable position of the arm when dancing with a new partner...) but even so have 'missed' on that lift on occasion. I would like to say that I genuinely hate that lift when done in a tutu. Hate it!

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From someone who has done that lift, it can be terribly difficult, not because of strength, but timing. The woman has to 'step' down at exactly the same time as the man lifts up. If it is even a fraction of a second off, it's awkward and usually won't work at all. You can see in the clip with Gomes that Part's left leg pushes out and the knee and leg don't go straight down as Gomes starts pressing up. Maria and her partner time it perfectly. Each dancer has their own little quirks which add to the unique partnering style of that dancer. For that lift to look effortless, both partners have to be perfectly in tune with each other. Even long time partners who have done that particular lift many times can still have trouble with it if one is having a bit of an off day. I've danced the Grigorovich Nutcracker as well as Spring Waters and traditionally not had issues with that lift (other than the obvious uncomfortable position of the arm when dancing with a new partner...) but even so have 'missed' on that lift on occasion. I would like to say that I genuinely hate that lift when done in a tutu. Hate it!

Thank you for these insights - fascinating! I'm curious: what name do dancers give that lift? Grigorovich had many innovative lifts in his work, not just this one.

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