Tickets are on sale for “The Nutcracker,” a beloved UNCSA holiday tradition, with 11 live performances at Historic Stevens in downtown Winston-Salem, December 10-19, and the ‘”Nutcracker experience on demand” available from December. 20. This year’s production, which returns to the Stevens Center for the first time since 2019 due to the pandemic, features new choreography by Ilya Kozadayev, a faculty member of the UNCSA School of Dance, and music from the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor Jiannan Cheng. . Performance hours offer a family schedule and there is also a chance to win free tickets with the “Nutcracker” social media dance challenge.

To buy tickets

Tickets for the live show and for the “The Nutcracker Experience on Demand” are now on sale at uncsa.edu/casse-noisette or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945. Tickets for performances at the Stevens Center start at $ 25. The orchestra level of the Stevens Center will be open to capacity and the public will be required to wear masks. The on-demand experience, which includes a filmed version of the full 2021 production, fun games, trivia and more, is $ 75 per household. The product of “The Nutcracker” supports scholarships for students in schools of dance, design and production and music.

“Nothing beats the thrill of the live performance – for the artists and the audience,” Chancellor Brian Cole said. “Last year, amid COVID-19 restrictions, UNCSA came together to create an all-new, innovative ‘The Nutcracker’ film that reached audiences near and far online. This year, we are delighted to offer both live and recorded performances, so that everyone can share in the fun of our superb stage production.

Social media dance challenge

To celebrate the return of “The Nutcracker” to Stevens Center, the UNCSA School of Dance presents the “Nutcracker” Social Media Dance Challenge for a chance to win free tickets. Participants are invited to post a video on TikTok of themselves performing one of two short dances choreographed and performed by students of the School of Dance. Entries will also be accepted on Instagram Reels. A winner will be announced each Monday for the remainder of November, and each week’s winner will be given their choice of two individual tickets for the evening show on December 15 or 16 or a domestic ticket for the “The Breakout Experience”. Hazelnut on demand ”. Entries will be assessed on workmanship, originality and creativity, character / personality and style.

“Throughout the pandemic, social media and virtual platforms have enabled dancers and audiences to stay connected through the art form,” said Dean of Dance Endalyn Taylor. “The TikTok and Instagram Challenge is a fun way to kick off our return to performing arts and celebrate the dance artist who lives in all of us.

Participants should use the hashtags #UNCSAnutcracker and #Nutz. Additional information on the “Nutcracker” social media challenge is available at www.uncsa.edu/challenge.

The production

Ilya Kozadayev’s choreography is a new imagination of the original stage production, adhering to UNCSA COVID-19 community health standards as recommended by state and national public health agencies. “Traditionally, the youngest performers of ‘The Nutcracker’ have come from our prep dance program for students in Grades 3 through 9, who perform on the Act One party stage,” said Jared Redick, Assistant Dean of the School of Dance and executive producer of “The Nutcracker.”

“The Nutcracker” returns live at the Stevens Center on December 10th. / Photo: Peter Mueller

“Because many of them are too young to be vaccinated, we felt it was in everyone’s best interest to reinvent the first act, creating an exciting new overture for ballet,” he added. .

Clara and her Prince The Nutcracker remain at the forefront of the new production. The favorites Sugar Plum Fairy, Snowflakes and Flowers, as well as the jaw-dropping Trepak are also back.

Kozadayev also choreographed the “Nutcracker” 2020, completely redesigned for cinema. Award-winning dancer and choreographer, he was born into a family of dancers in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he received his dance training at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. He also trained at the School of American Ballet in New York, the Academy of Colorado Ballet and graduated from the John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart, Germany.

The UNCSA Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Jiannan Cheng, director of the Rowan University Symphony Orchestra in Glassboro, New Jersey, conductor of the university’s opera productions and conductor professor of orchestra. She is a doctoral candidate in musical arts in conducting at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Cheng completed his undergraduate studies at the Chinese Conservatory of Music in Beijing and received his masters from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Cheng made his European debut conducting and working with the Giovanile Luigi Cherubini Orchestra, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ingolstadt Georgian Chamber Orchestra and the Munich Hochschule Symphony Orchestra. Her teachers and mentors include world-renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur and Marcus Bosch, to whom she has assisted in Heidenheim, Germany, and conducted a successful performance of Verdi’s “Nabucco”. She has conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Miami Symphony Orchestra.

Family ticketing

In addition to the evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 10 and Wednesday to Friday, December 15 to 17, UNCSA will offer family matinees on Saturdays at noon and 5:30 p.m. on December 11 and 18 and 2 Les matinées du Sunday from December 12 and 19 and a morning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday December 16.

“So many families come to see ‘The Nutcracker’ year after year, but a night can be tough for our younger audience members,” said Redick. “Our new schedule allows parents to select the ticket options that best suit their needs, so everyone can experience the magic and excitement created by talented students in our dance, design and production schools. and music. “

The “Nutcracker on demand” experience

“The Nutcracker” will be played in person at Stevens Center this season, but for audiences who prefer to see the production from home, “The Nutcracker Experience on Demand” is available. Ticket buyers benefit from exclusive access to the “On-Demand Nutcracker Experience” via the UNCSA Events app. The experience includes exclusive on-demand access to a filmed version of the 2021 production from December 20; History of the Nutcracker; coloring sheets; Games; online program; and a community wall to post your memories and share. Register for the “Nutcracker on-demand experience” at uncsa.edu/casse-noisette. Instructions for accessing the app will be emailed to those who register.

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