A “must see” event is the Iowa State Center’s presentation of The Nutcracker Ballet. This annual production is the longest-running Nutcracker in Iowa and showcases sensational talent on stage at Stephens Auditorium.
A cast of more than 200 skilled dancers from more than a dozen central Iowa communities will delight audiences of all ages in this holiday masterpiece. This production features choreography by Robert Thomas and Miyoko Kato Thomas of the Dancenter in Ames.
The Nutcracker Ballet tells the story of a young girl, a heroic prince, and the fantastic dream they share. From the opening party scene to the last tinkling notes of Tchaikovsky’s famous score, a festive holiday spirit permeates the whole performance.
Along with exceptional local talent, The Nutcracker Ballet welcomes new professional principal dancers Liza Kroeschell in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Brock James Henderson as her Cavalier.
Liza Kroeschell is an Ames native. She took her first dance class at the Robert Thomas Dancenter at age three, where she continued to train through high school under Robert Thomas, Miyoko Kato Thomas, Wendy Kepley, Lisa Luiken Woxwell, Ellen Mullen and Maureen McGrath as a member of the Dancenter Dancers Company. Kroeschell continued her dance training in college, graduating summa cum laude from the Alonzo King Lines B.F.A. program at Dominican University of California in May 2015. Today, Kroeschell remains actively involved in the San Francisco Bay Area dance community. She teaches dance in public and private elementary schools throughout the city, and has performed professionally in dawsondancesf’s Intima (2015) and Garrett + Moulton Production’s The Luminous Edge (2016) and Speak, Angels (2016) as a member of the movement choir. This is Kroeschell’s seventh Iowa State Center Nutcracker and first in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Brock James Henderson is a Central Iowa native and lives in Dallas, Texas. He began his dance training at age 16, studying at the Robert Thomas Dancenter with Robert Thomas, Miyoko Kayto, and Maureen McGrath, while participating in the Dancenter Dancer Company. Henderson graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2014 earning a BFA in Dance, under the direction of Katie Langan. While at Marymount, he was a member of the MMC Dance Company and had the privilege of performing works choreographed by Dwight Rhoden, Twyla Tharp, Emery LaCrone, Pedro Ruiz, Ray Mercer, Jessica Lang, John Butler, Tami Stronach, among others. In 2011, he was awarded the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation Adele Astaire Scholarship. Additionally, he has trained in numerous summer intensives including Springboard Danse Montreal, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet American Ballet Theater Collegiate, and the Joffrey Ballet School. Since graduating with his Bachelors of Fine Arts, Henderson has danced as an apprentice with ZviDance and 10HairyLegs in New York and is currently a full company dancer with Bruce Wood Dance Project in Dallas Texas. He is excited and grateful for this opportunity to share, grow and learn with the other talented artists in the place where his dance dreams began, and is thankful for his parents, mentors, and friends for their continued support and love.
“The Nutcracker Ballet” showtimes are at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10-11 at Stephens Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now and are $25 for adults, $20 for youth 18 and under, seniors 55 and over, ISU students and groups of 10 or more. A special Tea with Clara and the Mouse King will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 10 for $7.
Tickets can be purchased at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office - North entrance of Stephens Auditorium at the corner of Lincoln Way and Beach Ave., between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster by phone 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.