'The Nutcracker' to make a triumphant Christmas return to Holmes County

While the Holmes County Center for the Arts may still be in its infancy, the quality of its productions make it seem as though the organization has been teaching ballet and dance for decades.

Coming this Christmas season is the triumphant return of a time-honored classic that wowed audiences last year. The highly anticipated return of “The Nutcracker” will again brighten up the holiday season through the Holmes Center for the Arts.

Last year approximately 1,300 people attended the event, so expectations are high that another quality production will again entertain the Christmas crowd from Dec. 1-3.

“Holmes Center for the Arts students have been working hard since the end of August on this production,” said Holley Johnson, executive director of Holmes Center for the Arts. “This is a very big deal to our students, partly because of the nature of the show itself being such a challenging ballet and partly because it is more than a single-night performance. They get to perform four straight shows, and not only is that fun for them, it is a wonderful way to educate them about what it means to be a performer and to bring ballet to life.”

“The Nutcracker” is a timeless full-length ballet adored by adults and children of all ages. While many areas have enjoyed “The Nutcracker,” last year’s performance in Holmes County was a first. Now planned to be an annual event, "The Nutcracker" is expected to sustain other arts programs at the Holmes Center for the Arts.

Presented by First-Knox National Bank, Holmes Center for the Arts will present “The Nutcracker” on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m., Dec. 2 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at West Holmes High School. Guest dancers for the event will be sponsored by Pomerene Hospital.

Johnson said that like last year, patrons of this year’s event will be stunned at how professional and impressive this performance will be.

“Bringing ballet to Holmes County was always one of our biggest goals, and this performance might really surprise people who are thinking that this is just some quaint, little Holmes County production,” Johnson said. “Our dancers have put in a ton of time and work. Last year’s performance really introduced the public as to how impressive some of these dancers are, and I believe we have twice as strong of a cast this year.”

Approximately 75 students age 3 through adult from all over Holmes, Wayne, Tuscarawas and Coshocton counties will perform in this show, and many more people have been working behind the scenes on sets, costumes and more to create a mesmerizing atmosphere worthy of such a beloved classic.

In addition the presentation will receive a huge boost with the addition of Ethan Ralston, a professional danseur from the Canton area who will perform the role of Cavalier. Abigail Fedor, a professional ballerina from Cleveland, will perform one cast of the Sugar Plum Fairy with Abby Wengerd, an aspiring ballerina from Holmes County, performing the other cast of Sugar Plum.

“It is exciting having students who are strong enough to dance some of the leading roles this year,” Johnson said. “We are so proud of what our students have accomplished this year, from the little mice who are just learning classroom etiquette and rhythm to our high school-aged dancers who are putting in up to 15 hours a week of dance classes and rehearsals.”

Johnson said the hope is that “The Nutcracker” will grow into an annual Christmas season event, noting that as long as they have dancers and the public's support, this will be an ongoing endeavor.

“This is something that is wonderful for the entire community,” Johnson said. “And something of this magnitude always inspires our younger dancers to want to grow into the next challenging role in the production. We believe it will be a fun tradition to come see 'The Nutcracker' every year and will eventually attract people from all over Ohio, but most of all we are thrilled to be able to offer this wonderful, magical opportunity to the people of our community.”

For more information or to order tickets, visit the Holmes County Center for the Arts at www.holmescenterforthearts.org. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door for $12 each.