Volusia Civic Ballet will present live “The Nutcracker in The Round” ballet for three performances on Saturday, Dec. 5th, and Sunday, Dec. 6th, at the Ocean Center at 101 N. Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach, FL. This year’s production is designed with socially-distanced guidelines and design that the Ocean Center arena is able to accommodate. Seats are sold in pods of 2s, 3s, and tables of 8 with socially-distanced separation between pods and tables. All pods are required to be purchased as a set to comply with the social distance restrictions. Each occupied row with socially distanced pods is separated by empty rows above and below.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Ocean Box Office in person or by phone at 386-254-4500 Monday through Friday. Online show tickets are available through the Ticketmaster link on www.civicballetvc.org. Show ticket prices range from $20 to $45 if purchased at the box office but will incur Ticketmaster fees if purchased on-line. Children’s Sugar Plum Tea tickets are $20 in addition to the show ticket and are available for purchase on www.civicballetvc.org without surcharges.
In addition to the full-length production, a condensed narrated Family Series show is offered on Dec 5th. It is suitable for audiences with special needs, all levels of mobility, and young children. The Family Series is just under one hour and provides a memorable holiday experience with several vignettes from Act I and a full Act II.
The always highly anticipated Children’s Sugar Plum Tea is offered on Saturday at 6 pm and on Sunday at 1 p.m. Children ages 3-12 will enjoy sweet confections and other holiday treats in a fairytale atmosphere with beautifully decorated trees and tables. A few of our Nutcracker characters will make an appearance to pose for photos to enhance the holiday experience.
Performances include:
• Saturday, Dec. 5th at 2 p.m. (Family Series)
• Saturday, Dec. 5th at 7 p.m. (full show)
• Sunday, Dec. 6th at 2 p.m. (full show)
Children’s Sugar Plum Tea:
• Saturday, Dec. 5th at 6 pm (show ticket and Tea ticket required)
• Sunday, Dec. 6th at 1 pm (show ticket and Tea ticket required)
The cast of over 90 performers in this magnificent production comes from 18 participating dance studios, with choreography produced by 12 choreographers. This event is a collaborative community project with professional guest artists from Pennsylvania Ballet.
Set to the classical music of the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the story comes alive when a young girl Clara, performed by Joy Perry, receives a magical Nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve from her mysterious magician Uncle Drosselmeyer, played by Ben Arterburn. Drosselmeyer’s young Apprentice, played by Tanner Noronha-Weeks,befriends Clara and protects her from her naughty young brother Fritz, played by Miles Bland, and his rowdy friends. As she drifts asleep, in her dream a battle ensues between the army of mice led by the Mouse King, played by Harry Robart, and the Mouse Queen,played by Jillian Fulcher, against the army of toy soldiers led by her beloved Nutcracker, played by Tanner Noronha-Weeks. As Clara helps the Nutcracker to overthrow the Mouse King, a spell is broken and the Nutcracker is transformed back into a Prince who looks just like her protector Apprentice. To thank Clara for her bravery, the Prince takes her on a journey through an enchanted Snow Forest where they meet a majestic Snow Queen, played by Elizabeth Connor. Traveling through the swirling snowflakes, Clara and her Prince arrive to the Kingdom of Sweets. The beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier greet them with sweet confections from exotic lands of Arabia, Spain, Russia, France, and China. This year’s spectacular guest artists are from the Pennsylvania Ballet with Dayesi Torriente as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Arian Molina Soca as the Cavalier. They will join the cast for the Saturday evening and for the Sunday matinee shows.
During the performances, the Ocean Center concourse will be transformed into a quaint German village. Patrons can purchase unique Nutcracker gifts from Uncle Drosselmeyer’s Magical Toy Shoppe. Orders for the Nutcracker holiday merchandise can be placed ahead of time on www.civicballetvc.org and picked up during the show at the Ocean Center.
For more information on the performance, visit www.civicballetvc.org.
