Opening its 52nd season, the Northwest Florida Ballet (NFB) proudly presents The Nutcracker on Fri. and Sat., Nov. 19 and 20, at 7:30 p.m., and Sun., Nov. 21 at 2:30 p.m., at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center. In its 42nd year, NFB’s production of The Nutcracker remains the only full-length version of the classic holiday fairytale in the area and features live musical accompaniment by the Northwest Florida Ballet (NFB) Symphony Orchestra, led by David Ott.
NFB’s The Nutcracker includes a cast of over 140 performers, including over 100 local children and international guest artists. This season the role of Clara will be performed by Sarah McGowan with John Rayman dancing as the high-spirited Fritz. McGowan and Rayman attend the NFB Académie and are in the 8th and 6th grades, respectively. NFB's Artistic Director/CEO Todd Eric Allen, returns once again to dance the role of Drosselmeyer, and Lindsey Brewer will entertain audiences as the vivacious Mouse Queen.
International guest artists Daynelis Munoz will dance the role of Sugar Plum Fairy, and Daniel Sarabia will be her Prince Cavalier. Munoz was born in Cuba, where she studied Classical Ballet graduating in 2005 as a Professional Classical Dancer and Ballet Instructor. She has graced stages in Spain, France, Colombia, Mexico, among others, as a member of professional companies such as the Cuban National Ballet, Mexico Ballet and the Tulsa Ballet. Her career highlights include performing as a Principal Dancer in Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Infra, Serenade, Bayadera. Munoz has participated in numerous international Ballet competitions in Cuba and Mexico, winning the Gold Medal at the Youth America Grand Prix. She is currently a Principal Guest Artist and Ballet Instructor, traveling to perform and teach master classes across the U.S.
Sarabia joined the Provincial School of Ballet Alejo Carpentier in Havana in 1993 and graduated from the Cuban National Ballet School in 2002. He began his professional career with the Cuban National Ballet in 2002 under the direction of prima ballerina Alicia Alonso. He won the Silver Medal in the New York International Ballet Competition in 2005. Sarabia has appeared in Latin America, the United States, Asia and Europe dancing such roles as Basilio in Don Quixote, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Siegfried in Swan Lake. He has performed with the prestigious Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet and Béjart Ballet of Lausanne. He was a principal dancer with the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida until 2017 and is currently an international guest principal dancer.
International guest artist Sebastián Vinet will dance the role of the high-flying lead Russian Dancer and perform in the Arabian pas de trois. Born in Santiago de Chile, Vinet began his Ballet training at Escuela de Ballet del Teatro Municipal de Santiago on full scholarship before moving to Houston to finish his training at Ben Stevenson Houston Ballet Academy. In 2009, he joined the Houston Ballet and then in 2010 the San Francisco Ballet.
During his career, Vinet has had the privilege of dancing principal roles in pieces of numerous world-renowned choreographers and performed in international ballet galas and taught master classes across the globe. In 2009 he was selected as an apprenticeship recipient at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, received the “Premio Jovenes Líderes del diario El Mercurio presented by the ambassador of Chile in the United States and appeared as a special guest dancer at the Grammy Awards.
NFB soloist Luciana Ato will dance the role of the Dew Drop Fairy and the Snow Queen alongside soloist Wyatt Mier, who will perform as the Snow King. Max Murdock will perform as the Nutcracker Prince. In addition to Vinet, The Arabian pas de trois will include NFB soloists Timothy Knoll, C’Jae Ransom and Mier.
“We are thrilled to finally return to the Mattie Kelly Arts Center to open our 2021-2022 season with The Nutcracker. While we managed to find a creative solution to keep this long-running tradition alive with a virtual performance last year due to COVID, it’s such a relief to be back on the stage. It is, however, bittersweet as we recently lost a dear member of the NFB family. Our beloved Dorothy Daniels Lister, my mentor, friend and our Ballet Mistress for 23 years, passed away earlier this month. With a heavy heart, we dedicate this year’s production to “Miss Dorothy” and her enduring legacy. We are honored to share these performances with the community in her memory and mark the beginning of their holiday season,” said NFB Artistic Director/CEO Todd Eric Allen.
The NFB Symphony Orchestra, led by David Ott, comprises the finest musicians from the Southeast and abroad. In his sixth year as the NFB Music Director, Ott has been cited among America’s most-performed composers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music and Grammys, he has an extensive portfolio of compositions in every genre of music, from large-scale orchestra works to short overtures. His works have been performed or recorded by some of the most distinguished American and European orchestras.
Box office priced tickets for The Nutcracker are $40 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at NFBallet.org or through the Mattie Kelly Arts Center Box Office. The Signature Season sponsor for The Nutcracker is VIP Destin Magazine. NFB is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
