Dance studio performs 'The Nutcracker'
Dancers rehearse "The Nutcracker" ballet at Today's Generation Dance Studio. The ballet runs 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Moses Lake High School theater. General admission is $5.
MOSES LAKE - Today's Generation Dance Studio is ushering in the holiday spirit with "The Nutcracker" ballet.
Saturday's performances mark the first time in Moses Lake the ballet has performed with all of its original music, said Director and Choreographer Naomi Hanvey.
Today's Generation and The Ballet Academy of Moses Lake take turns organizing the performance each year, said Hanvey. Performers from both studios usually participate each year, she added.
She first directed a performance of "The Nutcracker" two years ago, although it was an abbreviated version, she said.
"For most of my students it was their first ballet performance so we were just trying to give them a sense of what it's like to be in a ballet, specifically 'The Nutcracker,'" she said.
This year has presented challenges due to limited rehearsal time, but the dancers have been working hard, she said.
"A lot of them are just really enthusiastic and that's just kind of what keeps all of us going, because sometimes it gets very tedious and sometimes it gets very stressful, but just remembering how much fun it is for the kids and it's fun for me, too."
It's fun for some of the parents, too, she said.
Some of the parents act in the performance, and others have helped with sets, props, and costumes.
"The whole studio comes together in this whole collaborative effort that doesn't really happen to this extent with any other shows we do," she said.
Tim Rutty, father of McKenna Rutty, plays Drosselmeyer in the production.
"This is great," he said of the experience. "I like every opportunity I get to do something with my daughter. It just makes my day."
McKenna, who has been dancing with Today's Generation for seven or eight years, plays a Sugarplum Fairy in the ballet, he said.
"The Nutcracker" ballet is at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Moses Lake High School Theater.
General admission is $5 and is expected to sell out, said Hanvey. Call Today's Generation at 509-771-0538 for tickets.