Nashville Ballet selected 60 dancers from Williamson County to perform in the youth cast for Music City’s favorite holiday tradition. Presented by Nashville Ballet, and sponsored in part by PNC Bank, Nashville’s Nutcracker is at TPAC’s Jackson Hall now through December 23, 2019. This year’s youth cast features 292 young dancers from School of Nashville Ballet and the community at large performing alongside Nashville Ballet and the Nashville Symphony in this beloved favorite.
Nashville’s Nutcracker will feature the following young dancers from Williamson County:
- Kates Alexander as a Lamb
- Ana Antic as a Bon Bon
- Joshua Boren as a Party Boy
- Zoie Bradford as a Medium Mouse
- Caitlyn Brannon as a Native American Soldier
- Christian Bush as a Native American Soldier
- Anna Elizabeth Callahan as a Native American Soldier
- Catherine Carlisle as a Medium Mouse
- Kai Carter-Sullivan as a Party Boy
- Corrine Cioffi as a Lamb
- Cecilia Cioffi as a Bon Bon
- Annie Compton as a Frontier Soldier
- Teddy Crighton as Fritz
- Charlie Cruz as Fritz
- Theodore (Teddy) Cruz as Infantry
- Henry Cruz as a Bon Bon
- Lee Lee Diel as a Russian Nesting Doll
- Sofia Dominguez as a Baby Mouse
- Mariana Dominguez as Clara
- Irelyn Dudley as a Commodore Cavalry
- Rowan Edwards as a Garden Fairy
- Bella Ewart as a Party Girl
- Meghan Fischbach as a Bon Bon
- Elle Gaston as a Frontier Soldier
- Lily Gilbert as a Garden Fairy
- Carly Graham as Clara
- Chloe “Coco” Graham as a Lamb
- Laney Gramling as a Garden Fairy
- Katy Harmon as a Garden Fairy
- Addison Harris as a Commodore Cavalry
- Anna Caroline Henry as a Party Girl
- Lauren Hill as a Garden Fairy
- Kaylee Hollis as a Lamb
- Marissa Huggett as a Medium Mouse
- Amelia-Kate Johnson as a Frontier Soldier
- Charlee Kiser as a Russian Nesting Doll
- Chloe Ladd as a Baby Mouse
- Jimin Lee as a Russian Nesting Doll
- Vincent Mallette as a Party Boy
- Claire Markham as a Garden Fairy
- Kelsey Martin as a Party Girl
- Harper Mcclure as a Baby Mouse
- Emma Naumovski as a Bon Bon
- Clara Owen as a Party Girl
- Aidan Pape as a Party Boy
- Elissa Patel as a Lamb
- Ashlinn Powell as a Medium Mouse
- Gabriele Redding as a Frontier Soldier
- Eliza Reedy as a Commodore Cavalry
- Sarah Sawyer as a Lamb
- Alyssa Shave as a Lamb
- Anna Sloan as a Party Girl
- Maddy Soeters as a Dancing Bear Cavalry
- Kadie Stampley as a Garden Fairy
- Patrick Suggett as a Party Boy
- Layne Tweedie as a Garden Fairy
- Emma Whitley as a Garden Fairy
- Sophie Willis as a Garden Fairy
- Gigi Wingo as a Russian Nesting Doll
- Emma Young as a Garden Fairy
This year Nashville’s Nutcracker youth cast members were selected from community-wide, open auditions. Members of the youth cast come from 10 counties throughout Middle Tennessee including Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, Wilson, and Christian County, Kentucky. They will perform alongside all 52 members of Nashville Ballet’s professional company and NB2 as well as 60 members of the Nashville Symphony.
“We’ve had well over 1,000 young dancers take the stage in the Nashville’s Nutcracker youth cast over the years,” Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling said. “The youth cast is such an integral part of the overall success of this larger than life production.”
Nashville Ballet premiered Nashville’s Nutcracker in 2008 with a unique concept weaving Music City’s glittering past with the awe-inspiring wonder of the classic tale. In its 11th season on stage, Nashville’s Nutcracker has cemented itself in the hearts of numerous patrons and young artists as a treasured holiday tradition.
Beginning at the 1897 Centennial Exposition in Nashville, Clara and her Uncle Drosselmeyer meet a colorful cast of characters from faraway lands. When Uncle Drosselmeyer gifts Clara a wooden Nutcracker on Christmas Eve, the toy magically transforms to life as a handsome prince and leads her on an unforgettable adventure. Clara encounters a captivating collection of fascinating friends including everyone from the Snow Queen to the Sugar Plum Fairy, as well as the delightful characters she met at the Exposition. When Clara finally returns home, the audience is left to decide if it was all just a dream–or not.
The Aertson Hotel is a supporting sponsor for Nashville’s Nutcracker. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased in person at the TPAC box office in downtown Nashville, by phone at 615-782-4040 or at nashvilleballet.com. A complete performance schedule and more information can be found at nashvilleballet.com/nashvilles-nutcracker.
Pictured above: Williamson County dancers – (front row, from left): Rowan Edwards, Elissa Patel, Eliza Reedy, Addison Harris, Annie Compton, Chloe Ladd, Sofia Dominguez, Chloe “Coco” Graham, Emma Young, Sarah Sawyer, Elise Davy and Elle Gaston; (second row) Kadie Stampley, Charlie Cruz, Caitlyn Brannon, Layne Tweedie, Kates Alexander, Sophie Willis, Teddy Crighton, Aidan Pape, Lauren Hill, Anna Elizabeth Callahan, and Asher Lekki of Davidson County; (back row) Amelia-Kate Johnson, Maddy Soeters, Clara Owen, Teddy Cruz, Henry Cruz, Mariana Dominguez, Patrick Suggett, Kai Carter-Sullivan, and Emma Whitley; (not pictured) Ana Antic, Joshua Boren, Zoie Bradford, Christian Bush, Catherine Carlisle, Cecilia Cioffi, Corrine Cioffi, Lee Lee Diel, Irelyn Dudley, Bella Ewart, Meghan Fischbach, Lily Gilbert, Carly Graham, Laney Gramling, Katy Harmon, Anna Caroline Henry, Kaylee Hollis, Marissa Huggett, Charlee Kiser, Jimin Lee, Vincent Mallette, Claire Markham, Kelsey Martin, Harper McClure, Emma Naumovski, Ashlinn Powell, Gabriele Redding, Alyssa Shave, Anna Sloan, and Gigi Wingo.
