Dance It Up! presents Not Just Nutcracker...Winter Wonderland

Dance It Up! Dance Center of North Grafton presents its 9th annual holiday production entitled Winter Wonderland…Not Just Nutcracker at The Worcester Technical High School Theatre, Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 2:00pm. Our snow date is December 2, 2012.

Dance It Up! was opened in March 1996 and is currently under the direction of Stephanie Mack.  Our mission is to instill in our students a love of music and dance; encourage imagination and creativity through classroom technique, performance opportunities and exposure to difference genres of dance arts.

This year’s production features a cast of over 80 students who have been working since early September on creating and mastering various dance movements including not just ballet, but also jazz, hip hop, contemporary, acro and tap. Act One includes some of the traditional elements of the Nutcracker with Clara waking up in the living room of her home to rats and mice battling with the life-size Nutcracker.   Then Clara and her Nutcracker find themselves in a Winter Wonderland with a Snow Queen and angels beckoning them to an enchanted kingdom.  Wondrous creatures await them on their journey including: Fairies of the Wood, adorable penguins, skiers, snow bunnies, polar bears, dancing snowmen, Jack Frost and his icicles, playful reindeer and some entertaining elves.  The angels and Snow Queen reappear to safely escort them through the end of this Winter Wonderland. 

Act Two begins with Clara and her Nutcracker crossing Lemonade Lake to the Kingdom of Sweets where they are entertained by hot chocolate, iced coffee, sweet tea, trepak, marzipan, gingerbread children, and the cake-topping flowers.  Finally the Sugarplum Fairy invites Clara and the Nutcracker to dance with her celebrating the Nutcracker’s return.  It is the time of Clara’s life!   

Dance It Up!’s Winter Wonderland…Not Just Nutcracker is performed under the artistic direction of Catherine Rhodes with choreography by teachers: Lacy Donnelly, Michele Gordon, Elizabeth McCarthy, Kathryn Proulx, Tracy Levicki and Maureen Williams.  This production features many area dancers:  Grafton’s Lindsay Igoe as Clara; Hopkinton’s Nina Cok as Sugar Plum Fairy and Maggie Reynolds as Marzipan Shepherdess; Northborough’s Alyssa Coyne as Dewdrop Fairy and Lead Snowflake; Shrewsbury’s Madison Busick as Snow Queen, Julia Shaughnessy as Lead Snowflake, and Caleigh Snyder as Rat Queen and Coffee; Uxbridge’s Abby Guin as The Nutcracker; Westborough’s Arina Khotimsky as Mother Ginger and Chloe Smith as Chinese Tea; and Worcester’s Katie Brophy as Coffee and Shelbea Makela as Lemonade Queen.

Ms. Rhodes is in her seventh year of teaching with Dance It Up! and is currently the ballet program director.  In addition to direction and choreography this year, she has designed and constructed many of the costumes you will see onstage, as well as producing the graphic art for the show. 

Tickets for the production are on sale now for $20. There is ample free parking at the High School and the building and theatre is handicap accessible. Gifts and seasonal items from Dance It Up!'s exclusive little shoppe called Sugarplums, a super cute boutique, will be on sale in the lobby the day of the performance. If you have any further questions please contact Dance It Up!

Dance It Up! Dance Center: Since 1996

Sugarplums: A Super Cute Boutique