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Dancers practice 'Nutcracker 2007'
The vision to perform on a stage in front of a live audience is coming to fruition for 12 local little girls who will be part of the 15th annual Moorpark Civic Ballet and Dance Theater Nutcracker production. The show will feature 120 dancers, including two professional guest performers. The Nutcracker Ballet, most commonly performed at Christmastime, is based on the fairy tale of a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads. It is set to the music of Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Moorpark Civic Ballet and Dance Theater was formed in 1992 to provide access and education in that art of dance and theater to everyone in the community. The nonprofit group is headed by local residents Joanne Pelletier, Lori Dahl, Jacki Rose and Pam Rossi. "To be able to keep a very old story alive and well in our community is very inspirational," said Rossi, choreographer for the Civic Ballet and owner of Pam Rossi's Dance Ten in Moorpark. Young dancers usually want to learn jazz and hip-hop first, but since most children love to perform, the Civic Ballet decided to stage an annual Nutcracker to motivate youngsters to learn ballet, said Rossi. The program started with a few excerpts from the popular production and it has grown ever since. Civic Ballet board members said they hope to expand their programs in future years to help aspiring artists achieve their dreams. "One of our goals is to be able to offer some dance scholarships through the foundation," Rossi said. The "Nutcracker 2007" shows will feature many Moorpark residents ranging in ages from 5 to 55 and include special appearances from dancers of Louise Mandel's Performing Arts studio in Van Nuys. Guest artists Rebecca Rasmussen of Moorpark and her boyfriend Dean de Luna, who grew up in Texas, will also be starring in the shows. Both dancers are experienced professional performers. Rasmussen was introduced to dance by her mother, Julia Felker. She acquired more experience at Pam Rossi's Dance Ten studio and was a member of Moorpark High School's Dance Team, under the direction of Donna Whitelaw. She continued her training at Moorpark College, where she studied modern, ballet, jazz, tap, ballroom, and musical theater and received the Jennifer K. Prouty Memorial Scholarship for 2002 and the Tane Memorial Scholarship for 2003. Rasmussen began her professional career performing with the Media City Ballet. She performed with many other companies and graduated from the Boston Conservatory in 2006. She is now part of the internationallyacclaimed modern dance company MOMIX. "Since joining, Rebecca has lived a dream come true, performing throughout the U.S. and abroad," said Felker, adding she looks forward to spending the holidays with her daughter and her boyfriend. de Luna also has an extensive background in dancing and acting and he will graduate from the Boston Conservatory in May 2008. At the age of 8, de Luna landed the role of Jesse on the children's show "Barney and Friends." "Nutcracker 2007" performances will take place at 2 and 7 p.m. Sat. Dec. 22 at the Civic Arts Plaza's Ray Scherr Theater in Thousand Oaks. Since 2006, the Civic Ballet also organizes one show for elementary school groups in Moorpark. This year's special performance will be at the Moorpark High School Performing Arts Center on Dec. 17. "Our goals were to have children see a production that maybe their parents wouldn't normally take them to or be able to afford," Rossi said. For additional information call (805)529-1958 or visit www.moorparkcivicballet.com. |
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