Harford Ballet Company Twirls Into the Spotlight

On Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, the Harford Ballet Company brought holiday spirit to audience members at Edgewood High School by performing the winter classic, “The Nutcracker”.

The Harford Ballet Company has been practicing the performance of “The Nutcracker” since early August, practicing 5-6 days a week. The well-practiced performances took place in the auditorium at Edgewood High School at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night, and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. During both showings, the auditorium was packed with family members, friends, and those wanting to join in on the holiday fun. The audience was encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the performance and place it in the Toys for Tots boxes to help the foundation when they came up on stage.

Although there are many different performances of the famous production “The Nutcracker”, the Harford Ballet Company’s production is different from most. It is very interactive with the audience, inviting the children up on stage during the party scene to watch a magic trick by Herr Drosselmeyer, Clara’s godfather.

Megan Cullison, an audience member at the productions says, “I’ve always loved coming to The Nutcracker with my family. It’s very entertaining and is a great way to get into holiday spirit!”

In addition to the Harford Ballet Company and students from the Dance Conservatory of Maryland, the cast also included former soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Gabriella Yudenich, and principal dancer from the New York City Ballet, Craig Hall as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Other local professional dancers such as Bilal Smith, Falkner Discher, and Aidan Jaschik were also included in this production.

“‘The Nutcracker’ is an amazing show to be able to contribute to. Each year we are able to put our own spin on the concept of the show, which really makes it unique and interesting”, says company member Sarah Kujala. Sarah is in 11th grade at Bel Air High School, and played the Nutcracker, Spanish lead, snow, and flower in the production.

Each performance was followed by a tea party held in the cafeteria at Edgewood High School. Company members were dressed in their costumes, and were available for autographs and pictures with audience members.

The Harford Ballet Company is currently beginning to work on the production of “Swan Lake” which will be performed in June at Bel Air High School. You can check online for “Swan Lake” show times and tickets as the month of June nears.  Make sure to keep updated as well for tickets and show times for “The Nutcracker” next year. Happy Holidays!