It was reported that Dance Kids of Monterey County, which is now celebrating its 25th year, would be performing its well-known “Nutcracker: A Monterey Peninsula Tradition” show. August 22, 2018, Carmel, California — Due to the fact that Dance Kids of Monterey County is now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the organization has announced that its well-known “Nutcracker: A Monterey Peninsula Tradition” will be presented at the Sunset Center in Carmel on December 7th through the 9th. Once again, the Monterey County Pops! symphonic orchestra, which consists of 39 members and is led by Dr. Carl Christensen, will contribute to the annual ballet performance. In addition, the performance will be the first time that a children’s choir will be singing onstage during the “Dance of the Snowflakes” portion of Act I. Carol Richmond, the creator of Dance Kids and the creative director of the organization, made the following statement: “We are extremely proud and delighted to be celebrating our 25th anniversary this year.” It is really encouraging to learn that the community continues to support our objective to improve the moral fiber of children and to have a good impact on their lives via the performing arts. We are going to keep expanding and improving, as well as recruiting fresh people, in order to carry on that history. With this in mind, Dance Kids also made the announcement that they have appointed Philip Pegler, a seasoned professional dancer and instructor, to the position of Artistic Director for the organization. In his capacity as a professional dancer and instructor, Pegler has more than thirty years of expertise in the field of classical ballet. His most recent position was as the Director of Ballet at Dance Kids. Beginning on December 7, 2018, the performance weekend will begin with a new tradition and a gift to the community: a free show that will be offered every year to the school students of the Monterey Peninsula. The show will begin at ten o’clock on Friday morning. The 700-seat theater is a gift from Dance Kids to the youngsters in the neighborhood who are not being adequately serviced. A show will be held on Friday evening at 7 o’clock, a Gala fundraiser will take place on Saturday evening, December 8, 2018, at 5 o’clock, and the show will begin at 7 o’clock. Additionally, the highly anticipated “Sugar Plum Fairy Champagne and Tea Party” will take place at 12:15 o’clock on Sunday, December 9, followed by the show at 2 o’clock. More than one hundred dancers, ranging in age from four to adulthood, are included throughout the whole of the ballet. Additionally, there are over four hundred costumes and an endless amount of accessories, such as headpieces, hats, and gloves. Volunteers are required to put in many hours of work for this performance, which also involves an extensive set design that incorporates local monuments and sceneries. As a result of the addition of the symphony, the budget that was previously set at $75,000 has increased to more than $25,000. The Dance Kids Board of Directors and Friends of Dance Kids were the ones who were responsible for raising the funding. One of the new features that will be included in the show this year is a children’s choir that will be directed by Stacy Meheen, who is a vocal and theater teacher for Dance Kids Productions. During the concluding act of Act I, which is titled “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” the wordsless vocalization will be performed by the choir consisting of youngsters aged 6 to 14. According to Meheen, who is the executive director of the Wharf Theatre and teaches voice and theater at Carmel River School, “It’s an angelic sound, it’s extremely nice.” Meheen is also speaking about the sound. “It is going to be highly unforgettable and very breathtaking.” Carmel Academy of Performing Arts, located at the intersection of Mission Street and Eighth Avenue in Carmel, will be hosting vocal auditions for children aged 6 to 14 on Sunday, August 19, at three o’clock in the afternoon. Meheen is looking for vocalists to join the choir. Please contact us at (831) 624-3729 for any information. All dancers from the community are welcome to audition for the complete show, which boasts a sense of inclusivity when it comes to all of those who participate. On September 1st, auditions and rehearsals will get underway. The choreographer for the performance is Andrea Paris Gutierrez, who is a member of the Los Angeles Ballet Academy. Additionally, five local rehearsal directors are in charge of directing the show. With certification from the Royal Academy of Dance in London, three of the five directors are also trained teachers. Three years ago, Dance Kids rebranded the show as “Nutcracker: A Monterey Peninsula Tradition.” They also included the Old Del Monte Hotel as the location for the party scene in the first act of the show. Additionally, they introduced well-known characters who are associated with the Peninsula, such as Salvador Dali and John Steinbeck. Despite the fact that the plot line and choreography have not changed, Richmond maintains that they continue to represent the tradition of the Peninsula during its heyday in the early 1920s and 1930s. The production will soon make an announcement on the guest artists that will be appearing in the shows that take place in December. While Joanne Phelps is responsible for the costumes, Nicole Bryant-Stephans of Bottega Design is the one responsible for designing the set for the show. Additionally, throughout the month of November, Dance Kids of Monterey County will once again give performances of “Cascanueces: A Folklorico Nutcracker” at schools located in South County. The annual Christmas custom in Monterey County showcases the rich culture of Mexico and nations south of the border via the medium of narrative and dance. This tradition is now in its sixth year of traveling the county. The concept of combining music from Spain with music from other Spanish-speaking nations in order to produce a “Cascanueces” has resulted in the collaboration of folkloric choreographers, local ballet dancers, and mariachi musicians. In anticipation of a vibrant and informative assembly, South County schools have booked the tour date of “Cascanueces” for the month of November 2018, which is the beginning of each school year. San Ardo serves as the starting point for the journey, which will also include stops at King City, Greenfield, Salinas, and San Lucas. In addition, sponsorship opportunities are now available for “Cascanueces” and will be available in June for the “Nutcracker” performances in December. Send a message to (831) 622-9008 for more details. Monterey County Pops! was established in 1985 and not only offers free public concerts of pops and patriotic music on holidays to the community, but it is also the only orchestra in Monterey County that offers disadvantaged students in their own communities the opportunity to participate in professional performances without having to pay tuition. They have expanded their audience to around 6,700 people, and in the previous year, they collaborated with the orchestra to produce six concerts of professional caliber that were performed by 175 young artists who were underserved. Relating to Dance Kids Richmond, the founder of Dance Kids of Monterey County, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is proud of its extensive spectrum of theatrical experience that it provides to the youngsters of the Monterey Peninsula. The company has a production history that spans over 24 years. Carmel Ballet Academy’s early shows featured “Nutcracker” and original spring musicals written by Walt de Faria, as well as a full-length spring ballet that was performed at Sunset Center. These works were created in the early days of the academy. People from the community, including a wide variety of young people and their families who were dedicated to theater, participated in Dance Kids, which was recognized for the fun-loving nostalgia that surrounded the show. The “Nutcracker” was no longer able to be performed at the venue because of its growing size, but the spring musicals continued to be performed there until they, too, outgrown the dance school. In 1995, “Nutcracker” relocated to Sunset Building, and it has continued to use that location as its home venue ever since, with the exception of the years while the center was undergoing renovations. “Nutcracker” presented by Dance Kids has developed into a spectacular show that is highly anticipated by both the performers and the community. Dance Kids of Monterey County has, throughout the course of the years that have gone, not only honored but also exceeded the initial goal that they had. This year is one that will be significant in terms of transformation and progress. Sunset Center, Cottage #17 San Carlos Street at 10th Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California is the address located on the street. Please send your correspondence to the following address: P.O. Box 6225 Carmel, California 93921 Phone: (831) 622-9008 Fax: (831) 218-1293 Email: info@dancekids.org Internet address: dancekids.org Marci Bracco Cain Chatterbox Public Relations Salinas, California 93901 (831) 747-7455 http://www.dancekids.org is the contact information.
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