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The Fairfax Ballet Co. will open the holiday season with a full-length production of “The Nutcracker” on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 29-30. Performances begin at 4 p.m. at Fairfax High, 3501 Lion Run in Fairfax City.
This year’s production introduces a brand-new holiday tree that will appear to grow as Clara journeys with her Nutcracker prince into a fantasy world of sweets. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
Alyssa Manguiat of Ballet Austin will perform as the Sugar Plum Fairy, while Solomon Hunter of Ballet Tucson will dance the role of the Cavalier. They lead a cast of 50 featuring Fairfax Ballet Company members and students from the Russell School of Ballet.
Chantilly High junior Gwyneth Moon will take the stage as Clara. Moon began dancing at age 3, trained at the Russell School of Ballet and joined the Fairfax Ballet in 2021. Her previous productions include “The Nutcracker,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Carnival of the Animals.”
Moon attended Cincinnati Ballet’s summer intensive program this summer. In March, she performed a variation from “Coppelia” at the Youth American Grand Prix in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She plans to participate in the competition again and perform in the annual spring ballet and a showcase featuring jazz, tap and modern dance.
Jordan Nelson, a principal artist with Canyon Concert Ballet in Fort Collins, Colorado, will appear as both the Nutcracker Prince and the Soldier Doll. Philip Smith-Cobbs will perform as the Mouse King and Coffee. A former Atlanta Ballet dancer, Smith-Cobbs now teaches at the Russell School of Ballet and serves on the Fairfax Ballet Company’s artistic team.
The company will return to “The Nutcracker” on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20-21, accompanied by the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Those performances begin at 4 p.m. at the George Mason Center for the Arts in Fairfax.
Based at the Russell School of Ballet in Chantilly, the Fairfax Ballet Company is a nonprofit organization. Its alumni have gone on to perform with the New York City Ballet, the Radio City Rockettes and in Broadway productions.