Today, Toledo Ballet announced its 81st production of The Nutcracker, the longest-running, annual production in the nation to be held in December. This year’s production, presented by Fifth Third Bank, will span across five public performances on Friday, December 10, 2021 at 11AM for a special school show and 7PM for the first performance, Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 2PM and 7PM, and Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 2PM. Last year’s performances were virtual only. This year, Toledo Ballet returns to the Stranahan Theater and is offering both in-person and livestreaming tickets.
“All of us at the Toledo Ballet are eagerly awaiting the 81st annual Nutcracker,” says Lisa Mayer-Lang, Artistic Director for Toledo Ballet. “The excitement and buzz in the air is always palpable once Nutcracker auditions begin and lasts until the weekend of performances. We’re hoping for a ‘regular’ Nutcracker year with full audiences so that we are able to reach as many people as possible in person.”
Toledo Ballet’s Nutcracker is a long-standing holiday tradition that tells the magical story of a young girl, her Nutcracker Prince, and their adventures with toy soldiers, mice, dancing snowflakes, and a Sugar Plum Fairy in the dazzling Land of Sweets. To honor the life and work of the late Marie Bollinger-Vogt, Founder and Artistic Director Emerita of Toledo Ballet, the lead role will be Marie rather than the traditional Clara in the production.
“I am so excited for this year’s Nutcracker!” says Zak Vassar, President & CEO of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. “We were so proud to perform it last December and continue our streak as the longest-running Nutcracker production in the nation. However, the pandemic forced us to dance for cameras only, and our audiences were left cheering in front of their screens. This year is different. We can welcome audiences back to the Stranahan once again to delight in the wonder of this holiday classic. I think this will make Christmas feel a little more ‘normal’ and connect us with the customs of previous holiday seasons.”
Guest appearances in this year’s production include Cincinnati Ballet Principal dancers Melissa Gelfin De-Poli as the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy and Rafael Quenedit Castro as the Snow King and Cavalier.
“I am filled with happiness that this season I will be returning to dance with Toledo Ballet in The Nutcracker,” says Melissa Gelfin De-Poli, Guest Artist in this year’s production of The Nutcracker. “In 2019 when I first shared the stage with Toledo Ballet, I immediately felt so connected to the entire team! Lisa Mayer-Lang and Michael Lang have created an incredibly special environment that radiates through the dancers and the performances. I was gutted to have missed out on last year's production due to COVID protocols that I needed to adhere to. This year will be a very happy return and I can hardly wait for December to arrive!”
Each year, Toledo Ballet selects two students to perform the role of Marie (formerly known as Clara) in its annual production. Toledo Ballet is proud to announce that Hayden Graham and Charlotte Sexton will perform the role of Marie in this year’s performances.
“I’m very excited to be performing the role of Marie this year in Toledo Ballet’s 81st annual Nutcracker,” says Hayden Graham, Toledo Ballet dancer. “My favorite scene of Marie’s has to be the party scene! It is so fun to perform together with all of my friends. I’m so thankful for this opportunity. Ever since I was little, I have dreamed of being Marie one day, hoping that I could help inspire others to start dancing as well.”
“From the first time I saw The Nutcracker at 3 years old, I knew my dream was to perform on stage as Marie,” says Charlotte Sexton, Toledo Ballet dancer. “I feel so honored and proud to be able to bring that same magic to this year's performance. I'm most looking forward to dancing in the Party Scene. I am speechless and beyond excited to be a part of this year's 81st Nutcracker with the Toledo Ballet.”
HOW TO ATTEND:
What: Toledo Ballet’s 81st The Nutcracker
When: Friday, December 10, 2021, 7PM, Saturday, December 11, 2021, 2PM & 7 PM, Sunday, December 12, 2021, 2PM
Where: Stranahan Theater
Cost: $22-$54
More info: Visit toledoballet.com, stop by the TAPA Box Office located at 1838 Parkwood Avenue, or call 419.246.8000, Monday-Friday, 9-5PM
HOW TO ATTEND:
What: Toledo Ballet’s 81st The Nutcracker School Performance
When: Friday, December 10, 2021, 11AM
Where: Stranahan Theater
Cost: $7.50 per student
More info: Visit toledoballet.com/nutcracker-student-performance or call the TAPA Box Office at 419.246.8000, Monday-Friday, 9-5PM
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE:
What: Toledo Ballet’s 81st The Nutcracker
When: Saturday, December 11, 2021, 7PM and Sunday, December 11, 2021, 2PM
Where: TAPA Streaming
Cost: $19.99
More info: Visit toledoballet.com or stream.artstoledo.com
“I want to thank Alex Gerken and his team at Fifth Third Bank for coming onboard as our title sponsor for this year’s Nutcracker,” says Vassar. “They are the first title sponsor in recent history, and we could not be more proud of Fifth Third’s investment in the beautiful music and movement of our Nutcracker. It’s a great way to celebrate our history and the importance of Toledo Ballet to this community. We wish Fifth Third an entire season of sugar plums!”
ABOUT TOLEDO BALLET
Toledo Ballet is a pre-professional dance company that inspires the passions and spirit of the Toledo community through dance. Under the artistic leadership of Artistic Director Lisa Mayer-Lang and Resident Choreographer Michael Lang, Toledo Ballet provides quality dance instruction and exceptional performance opportunities to over 250 students throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan annually.
Founded in 1939 by Marie Bollinger Vogt, Toledo Ballet continues to offer quality dance education spanning all ages and ability levels. Classes include ballet, contemporary, tap, tumbling, and Adaptive Dance, a unique class providing those with special needs an opportunity to learn to move in ways that come naturally to them. Acting, voice, and musical theater, as well as Conditioning, Chi Kung, and Pilates are also offered at the school. In addition, Toledo Ballet brings in world-renowned, professional dancers each year to lead its summer intensive programs, drawing students from across the region seeking to advance their skills.
Toledo Ballet students have competed at the national and international level, including the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), the world’s largest international student ballet competition, and many have pursued dance professionally at some of the most prestigious ballet institutions in the nation, including New York City Ballet, Chicago Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet.
On January 1, 2019, the Toledo Ballet and Toledo Symphony officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. Stemming from an 80-year partnership and annual presentation of The Nutcracker in Toledo, this merger is one of only a few in the nation and promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions.
ABOUT MELISSA GELFIN DE-POLI
Melissa Gelfin De-Poli began her ballet training with Lisa Collins Vidnovic at Metropolitan Ballet Academy and continued with Barbara Sandonato and Andrea Long-Naidu at Barbara Sandonato School of Ballet. She joined the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in 2009, under the direction of Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens, and was awarded a National Training Scholarship with ABT. Prior to dancing with Cincinnati Ballet, Gelfin De-Poli danced for Orlando Ballet II and Orlando Ballet Company from 2011-2014 and was a finalist in the 2014 Jackson International Ballet Competition. Gelfin De-Poli joined Cincinnati Ballet as a New Dancer for the 2014-2015 Season and was promoted to Corps De Ballet in February of 2015. She was promoted to Senior Soloist in 2017 and Principal Dancer in 2018.
As a dancer with Cincinnati Ballet, Gelfin De-Poli’s repertoire includes classical and contemporary works by Septime Webre, Yuri Possikov, Victoria Morgan, Val Caniparoli, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Nicolo Fonte, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Adam Hougland, and Ma Cong. She has danced Principal roles in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland) and The Wizard of Oz, Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, King Arthur’s Camelot and Romeo and Juliet, Kirk Peterson’s Coppélia and Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Rubies and Serenade, Devon Carney’s The Sleeping Beauty and originated roles in Penny Saunders Nannerl, Myles Thatcher’s Anamoly, Andrea Schermoly’s Swivet and several works by Jennifer Archibald.
ABOUT RAFAEL QUENEDIT CASTRO
Rafael Quenedit Castro comes to Cincinnati from the National Ballet of Cuba, where he quickly ascended to the role of principal dancer.
He began his training in 2006 in Cuba at Escuela Elemental de Ballet Alejo Carpentier where he trained for five years. He then spent eight years training with the National Ballet School of Cuba. He graduated in 2014 and joined the National Ballet of Cuba as a corps de ballet dancer. Quenedit Castro was quickly cast in soloist and principal roles, before being named principal dancer at the prestigious, international company.
He has also worked with internationally-renowned choreographers including Alicia Alonso, Alexei Ratmansky, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Giuliano Peparini, Alberto Mendez, among others.
Sharing his art with dance lovers around the world has been one of his passions. He has performed lead roles in the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and several others.
