Kansas Ballet Presents ‘The Nutcracker’

Kansas Ballet’s seventh annual production of The Nutcracker will be presented at Topeka Performing Arts Center on Saturday, December 21, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 22, at 1:00 p.m. The company will feature professional guest artists Oscar Sanchez and Ayano Kimura from The Washington Ballet along with the student dancers of Kansas Ballet Academy. The production will again feature live musical accompaniment by Topeka Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Kyle Wiley Pickett. Kansas Ballet’s Visiting Artist program is funded in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC), which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

SPECIAL TICKET PRICING – LIMITED TIME OFFER! Promotional pricing is available through 12/18: 

$28 General Admission $18 Youth Tickets may be purchased at the TPAC box office or online through Ticketmaster. 

GUEST ARTISTS

Ayano Kimura of Japan, born in Germany, went on a short-term study abroad to Russia and England in 2005. In 2006, she won first place at the Youth America Grand Prix semi-final competition in Japan and placed in the top 12 at the finals in New York City. She was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Ballet Academy School and also studied at La Scala Theatre Ballet School for two years. She also performed with former director of Germany’s Dresden ballet, Vladimir Derevyanko, when she was in school and was the distinguished recipient of the ‘best dancer’ award. Kimura performed with Roberto Bolle in the Opening Ceremonies for the Torino Olympic Games. She has performed principal roles in Nutcracker, Giselle, Kirk Peterson’s Swan Lake and many other soloist roles.

Oscar Sanchez is in his fifth season with The Washington Ballet. Sanchez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1991 and started training at the age of 15 at The National Ballet School “ENA”. After graduation, Sanchez continued onto The National Ballet of Cuba where he danced many roles, including Hilarion from Giselle, Mazurka in Coppélia, Majisimo and others. In 2014 he arrived in the United States. He has proudly been a part of The Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami as principal guest artist where he danced Le Corsaire pas de deux, Les Sylphides, Diana and Acteon,Spring Water pas de deux, as well as many other ballets. In 2014 he joined Columbia City Ballet as a principal dancer where he performed in Dracula, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. In January 2015, he received the Award for “Best Dancer of Miami” at the Miami Life Awards. Sanchez has performed in international ballet galas in ballet festivals in Panama, Costa Rica, and Miami.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Free community performances will take place at The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, the Silver Lake Library, Barnes & Noble, as well as local senior facilities and elementary schools. In December, Kansas Ballet will bring holiday cheer to SLI’s Festival of Trees and the Westridge Mall. Once again, Kansas Ballet is partnering with TPAC to present a shortened matinee performance of The Nutcracker to approximately 2,000 local school-aged children—also free of charge. The matinee is featured as part of TPAC’s Schooltime Theater and will take place on Wednesday, December 18th. As special guests, children from Kansas Ballet’s Ballet Stars program will have the opportunity to tour backstage and meet the performers following the Schooltime Theater matinee. The Ballet Stars program was established in 2016 and provides free classical ballet training and performance opportunities to under-served youth in our community.

“DREAM BIG” SPONSORS & PARTNERS

To reach underserved audiences across Northeast Kansas, Kansas Ballet is deeply grateful for premiere funding partners such as Security Benefit, ARTSConnect, Topeka Community Foundation, The Women’s Fund, the Kokari Foundation, KCAIC / National Endowment for the Arts, and The City of Topeka. Additionally, in-kind partners are an important part of Kansas Ballet’s Dream Big Team, and include Ramada Topeka Downtown Hotel & Convention Center, Capitol Federal, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Gizmo Pictures, and Topeka Blueprint Company.