Act I

The story is set in Vienna in the middle of the nineteenth century. Herr Silberhaus and his wife, along with their children, Clara and Fritz, celebrate the holiday festivities with friends and family. During this Christmas Eve night, the guests and their children rejoice in the magical Christmas atmosphere that Herr Drosselmeyer, Clara’s godfather, brings to the Silberhaus home. He fills the festivities with magical entertainment, dancing dolls, and toys for the children. Herr Drosselmeyer has a special surprise for Clara, a Nutcracker doll. Overjoyed, Clara dances with her new Nutcracker, but her jealous brother, Fritz, damages the Nutcracker. Herr Drosselmeyer fixes it with his magic powers, and after one final dance, the guests leave.

That night, Clara falls into a deep sleep but is woken by giant mice that menace and threaten her. Herr Drosselmeyer protects her and helps her escape. She finds herself back in the living room where, to her amazement, the Christmas tree grows to giant size, and she is in the midst of a huge battle between an army of tin soldiers and the mice. The Nutcracker doll comes to life and duels with the King Mouse. The Nutcracker ultimately rescues Clara from the King Mouse, whom she distracts by throwing her slipper, thus saving herself from his clutches. Herr Drosselmeyer takes Clara on the first part of a magical journey, the first stop of which is the Land of Snow, presided over by the Snow Queen and her Cavalier.

Act II

Herr Drosselmeyer then takes Clara to the Land of Sweets, where she is met by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her court of angels. Clara recounts her story of battle with the King Mouse. As a reward, the Sugar Plum Fairy performs her famous dance for Clara and invites her to stay and watch while she is entertained by the many Divertissements who inhabit her kingdom.

Michael Vernon started dancing at the Nesta Brooking School of Ballet in London before going on to study at the Royal Ballet School in London with such legendary teachers as Dame Ninette de Valois and Leonide Massine. He performed with the Royal Ballet, Royal Opera Ballet, and London Festival Ballet before coming to New York in 1976 to join the Eglevsky Ballet as ballet master and resident choreographer. He became artistic director of the Long Island-based company in 1989 and remained in that position until 1996.

Vernon choreographed numerous ballets for the Eglevsky Ballet, in addition to ballets for many other professional companies in the United States and worldwide, such as BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Mikhail Baryshnikov commissioned him to choreograph the successful pas de deux In a Country Garden for American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Vernon’s solo S’Wonderful was danced by ABT principal Cynthia Harvey in the presence of President and Mrs. Reagan and shown nationwide on CBS television. He served as the assistant choreographer on Ken Russell’s movie Valentino, starring Rudolph Nureyev and Leslie Caron.

Vernon taught at Steps on Broadway in New York City for many years, working with dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and many other high-profile companies. He is an integral part of the Manhattan Dance Project, which brings New York-style master classes to all regions of the United States. He has been involved with the Ballet Program of the Chautauqua Institution since 1996 and is the artistic advisor for the Ballet School of Stamford. He is permanent guest teacher at the Manhattan Youth Ballet and has a long association with Ballet Hawaii.

Vernon has been a company teacher for American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has guest taught in companies all over the world, including West Australian Ballet, National Ballet of China, Hong Kong Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Berlin Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, and Norwegian National Ballet. He has been a guest teacher for The Juilliard School and taught for many years at The Ailey School. He recently joined the panel of judges for the Youth of America Grand Prix regional semi-finals. For Indiana University, Vernon has choreographed Endless Night, Jeux, Spectre de la Rose, and Cathedral, and has staged and provided additional choreography for the full-length classics Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He has choreographed for many IU Opera Theater productions, such as Faust and the world premiere of Vincent.

Andrea Quinn studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music with Colin Metters, George Hurst, and John Carewe, leaving with the Ernest Read and Ricordi Conducting prizes. She went on to win the NAYO Conductor’s Bursary, enabling study in Hungary, and later she became an associate of the Royal Academy of Music and an honorary fellow of Trinity College of Music.

In 1993, she won the Royal Ballet Company’s competition “Conduct for Dance,” after which she rapidly developed a career conducting for ballet. Quinn has worked with many of the world’s leading companies, including Dutch National Ballet, Swedish Royal

Ballet, English National Ballet, and New Zealand Ballet. For three years, she was music director of the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden. In 2001, she and her family moved to New York, where she was appointed music director of New York City Ballet. Having returned to the U.K. in 2006 for family reasons, she has continued to be much in demand as a conductor for the ballet. Her 2013-14 engagements included work with Bordeaux Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, and Boston Ballet.

Quinn’s concert career developed alongside her work in the pit, and she has worked with several of Great Britain’s leading orchestras, including BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Halle Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra, and London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her tenure at Norrlands Operan featured innovative programming with an emphasis on contemporary works such as James Macmillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie and Kalevi Aho’s Clarinet Concerto. Some years earlier, she was music director of the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, with which she performed some of the giants of the orchestral repertoire alongside large scale contemporary pieces such as Harrison Birtwistle’s Gawain’s Journey.

She has worked with numerous orchestras abroad, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Adelaide and Melbourne symphony orchestras; several orchestras in Scandinavia, including NRK Orchestra in Oslo; L’ensemble de Paris, with which she has recorded; L’Orchestre Ile de France, Opera de Rouen; several orchestras in the U.S., including North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and Toledo Symphony Orchestra.

Her flourishing career as an operatic conductor has included projects with The Flying Dutchman in Norrlands Operan, Aida with Malmo Opera, Misper (a commissioned opera for children) at Glyndebourne, and The Merry Widow at Opera North.

Quinn conducted a recording of Paul McCartney’s “Tuesday” with the London Symphony Orchestra for EMI Records for which she was nominated as Female Artist of the Year by the British Phonographic Industry’s inaugural Classic Brit Awards. Her premiere recording of Thierry Pecou’s L’oiseau Innumerable for Harmonia Mundi earned international accolades, as did her recording of the Saint Saens Piano Concertos with Brigitte Engerer, which won the RTL d’Or du Mois.

Born in Bloomington, Ind., and raised not two blocks from campus, C. David Higgins started his theatrical studies at IU intent on becoming an actor/dancer before he discovered his love for scenic design. He studied with the famous C. Mario Cristini and became proficient in the Romantic-Realist style of scenic design and painting. After earning his master’s degree, he joined the staff of Indiana University Opera Theater and worked there as master scenic artist from the time the Musical Arts Center opened in 1971 until his retirement in December 2011. He was appointed to the faculty in 1976 and served as chair of the Opera Studies Department and principal designer for Opera Theater. His design credits throughout the United States include the San Antonio Festival, Memphis Opera, Norfolk Opera, Louisville Opera, Detroit Symphony, Canton Ballet, and Sarasota Ballet as well as many other venues. His Indiana University productions have been seen throughout North America as rentals by major regional opera companies. His many international credits include the Icelandic National Theater; Ballet San Juan de Puerto Rico; Korean National

Opera; Seoul City Opera; Korean National Ballet; Dorset Opera (England); Teatro la Paz de Belém, Brazil; and the Teatro National de São Paulo, Brazil. He has designed the scenery for the world premiere of Our Town (Ned Rorem), the American premieres of Jeppe (Sandström) and The Devils of Loudun (Penderecki), and the collegiate premieres of Nixon in China (Adams) and The Ghosts of Versailles (Corigliano) as well as many other operas and ballets. Known for his Italianate painting style, Opera News magazine has referred to Higgins as one of the finest American scenic artists today.

Patrick Mero is the head of lighting for Indiana University Opera and Ballet Theater. He has designed the lighting for Don Giovanni, Albert Herring, La Bohème, Tosca, L’Italiana in Algeri, West Side Story, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, among others. He has done extensive design work for the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department and the African American Art Institute’s Dance Ensemble. In addition to his work on the Musical Arts Center stage, Mero’s designs have been seen in several Cardinal Stage Company productions, including All My Sons, Romeo and Juliet, The Grapes of Wrath, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Inherit the Wind. Mero originally hails from Charleston, S.C., but calls Bloomington home.

Violette Verdy was a leading ballerina of the twentieth century, principal dancer for the New York City Ballet for 20 years, and former artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet and Boston Ballet.

Verdy has performed with over 50 companies on such stages as the Paris Opera, La Scala, Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Metropolitan Opera, Convent Garden, David H. Koch Theater, and the White House (by invitation of President Ford). She was a principal dancer with Ballets des Champs-Elysées and Ballets de Paris (1945-56), London Festival Ballet (1954-55), Ballet Rambert (1957), American Ballet Theatre (1957-58), and New York City Ballet (1958-77). She performed in over 100 different ballets with works by more than 50 choreographers, including those of the classical canon: Giselle, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, Don Quixote, La Sylphide, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and Coppélia. Ballets created especially for Verdy include Roland Petit’s Le Loup; George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Jewels, La Source, Sonatine, Liebeslieder Waltzer, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Episodes, The Figure in the Carpet, Electronics, Glinkiana, and Choral Variations on Bach’s “Vom Himmel Hoch”; Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, In the Night, and A Beethoven Pas de Deux; and Balanchine/Robbins’ Pulcinella.

Verdy has worked as a teacher and coach with over 150 professional companies and schools worldwide and has visited many more around the United States when she served as a scout for the Ford Foundation and The School of American Ballet. She has been on faculty with the Jacobs School of Music since 1996. The inaugural recipient of the Kathy Ziliak Anderson Chair in Ballet (2010), Verdy was also elevated to a Distinguished Professor (2005) and awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence (2013). She serves as principal guest teacher to The School of American Ballet, New York City, and as artistic advisor to the Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris. She has also been invited to teach at the Paris Opera Ballet for the last several summers.

Verdy has many firsts to her credit, including the first female to be artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet (1977-80), the first non-Russian female to be invited to teach at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow since the Russian Revolution of 1917 (2004, 2005), and the first to hold a university faculty chair position solely for ballet.

Verdy has appeared on stage and film, and was featured on British, French, Canadian, and American television. Appearances include the title role in Ludwig Berger’s film Ballerina (1949) and Jacqueline Audry’s film Olivia (1950); Montherlant’s play Malatesta with Jean-Louis Barrault (1950); MGM’s film The Glass Slipper (1955); NBC’s Bell Telephone Hour, Dinah Shore Show, and The Mike Douglas Show; CBS’s Carol Burnett Show; CBC’s The Still Point and The Nutcracker (by Neumeier); BBC’s Music for You and Turned Out Proud; PBS’s tribute to George Balanchine, Dance in America, and American Masters’ Jerome Robbins–Something to Dance About; Dominique Delouche’s Comme les Oiseaux (2009) and Balanchine in Paris (2011); and the documentary Budding Stars of the Paris Opera Ballet (2013).

Verdy has published children’s literature, including Of Swans, Sugarplums and Satin Slippers: Ballet Stories for Children (1991) and Giselle: A Role for a Lifetime (1970). She has been the subject of two biographies: Ballerina: A Biography of Violette Verdy by Victoria Huckenpahler (1978) and Violette Verdy by Dominique Delouche and Florence Poudru (2008); and of three documentaries: Rebecca Eaton’s Violette: A Life in Dance (1982), Dominique Delouche’s Violette & Mr. B (2001), and the VAI documentary Violette Verdy: The Artist Teacher at Chautauqua Institution (2009). She was on the cover of the March 16, 1959, edition of LIFE magazine.

Verdy has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. Most notably, she was awarded two medals from the French Government—the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1971 and Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur in 2009. She holds honorary doctorates from Goucher College, Boston Conservatory, and Skidmore College. In 1992, Pont l’Abbé, France (Verdy’s hometown), named its new theatre auditorium in her honor. In 2000, she was the recipient of Chautauqua Institution’s Kay Logan’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2001, she was awarded the Gala XV Women of Distinction Award from Birmingham-Southern College and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Ballet Teachers in Higher Education CORPS de Ballet, Inc. In 2003, The School of American Ballet awarded her its Artistic Achievements Award, and in 2007, she received the Ballet2000 Irène Lidova Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2009, The School of American Ballet honored Verdy with the Mae L. Wien Faculty Award for Distinguished Service, and in 2011, she received the Jerome Robbins Award.

A native of China, Guoping Wang trained at the Shanghai Dance Academy and in the graduate program at the Jacobs School of Music. He performed with the Shanghai Ballet Company, Ballet Chicago Company, Colorado Ballet, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and many other companies. He worked with the Shanghai Ballet Company for 11 years before coming to IU. Wang has performed in many countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Israel, England, Scotland, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and in many U.S. states. From 1995 to 2002, he performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has taught at Cincinnati Ballet Company and School, Hubbard Street Dance Company, Gus Giordano Dance Center, Joffrey Ballet Company Apprentice

Program, Salt Creek Ballet of Chicago, North Shore School of Dance, Ballet Chicago, Butler University, Ping Academy of Dance Canada, Kaleidoscope Company Indiana, Alwin School of the Dance in New Mexico, Dance Interlochen Center for the Arts, Rochester Ballet Company in New York, and many other ballet schools. Among the many roles he has danced are Coppelia for Ballet Chicago and The Torch Bearer for the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, both in 1997. He received the Ruth Page Award for outstanding dance achievement. Wang has been on the faculty of the School of Ballet Chicago and is a teacher and coach for Indiana University Ballet Theater.

Shawn Stevens is originally from Houston, Texas. At age 14, she attended Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts under the direction of Sydelle Gomberg. She continued her training at The School of American Ballet. In 1982, she was chosen by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet (NYCB). During her time with the company, she performed principal roles in Balanchine’s ballets, including Symphony in Three Movements, The Four Temperaments, and Symphony in C. She also danced in the original cast and performed principal roles in Brahms/Handel, choreographed by Twyla Tharp and Jerome Robbins. Stevens has worked with many other choreographers, such as Peter Martins, William Forsythe, Edward Villella, Ib Andersen, and Joseph Duell. During the 10 years she performed with NYCB, she danced in the TV programs Live from Lincoln Center with NYCB and Dance in America. She has also appeared as a principal dancer with the New York City Opera in Cinderella. In 1991, Stevens joined Twyla Tharp Dance, where she performed for five years. With Tharp’s company, she performed repertoire works as well as new works as a principal. She was asked to dance in the Cutting Up tour with Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Stevens’ film credits include I’ll Do Anything and In the Upper Room, both choreographed by Tharp. Stevens was personally invited to perform in Tharp’s hit Broadway musical Movin’ Out. She has been teaching ballet at several schools, universities, and companies through the United States. She is approved by The George Balanchine Trust to restage George Balanchine works and also stages works by Tharp through the Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation.

Jennifer Adam Bailey began her ballet training at Rochester School of Dance in Rochester, Mich., under the direction of Cornelia Sampson. Summers were spent studying with the Royal Danish Ballet, School of American Ballet, and the Chautauqua Institution. At age 16, she was accepted to The School of American Ballet on a full scholarship and studied there for three years. From the age of 19 to 25, Adam danced professionally with Pennsylvania Ballet and Atlanta Ballet. Upon retiring from a professional dance career, she began teaching at the Atlanta School of Ballet under the direction of Robert Barnett. In 1997, she was offered a merit scholarship to attend Indiana University to study in the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department. In 2001, she graduated with honors having completed a B.S. in ballet, and a teaching degree, with an emphasis on arts administration from the Individualized Major Program. In 2001, Adam was offered a full scholarship and teaching fellowship to the University of Michigan and earned an M.F.A. in modern dance and choreography. Since 2003, she has been working as an adjunct professor.

Christian Claessens, born in Brussels, Belgium, began his ballet training at the Conservatoire de la Monaie. In 1978, he came to New York as a scholarship student at The School of American Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre School simultaneously. After graduating, he performed with the Kansas City Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. In 1984, he returned to Europe as a member of the Dutch National Ballet. As a soloist, Claessens toured internationally in ballet troupes such as Stars of the American Ballet, Stars of the New York City Ballet, Stars of the Hong Kong Ballet, and Kozlov and Friends, among others.

In 1991, he cofounded the Scarsdale Ballet Studio with Diana White. During his 15-year run as director and master teacher, he trained dancers on all levels. In 1999, he codirected the International Ballet Project with Valentina Kozlova and White, both of the New York City Ballet. In 1998, he was asked to take over the directorship of the Purchase Youth Ballet, a division of the Conservatory of Dance at The State University of New York. Claesssens has been presenting his choreography in Westchester and New York City since 1991.

His unique and highly effective teaching method has attracted dancers of all levels. He has trained students that are now members of the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. He was the director of La Lecon: Christian Claessens School of Ballet in Westchester, N.Y.

Anastasia Falasca received both her bachelor’s in music performance and her Performance Diploma from the Jacobs School of Music. A native of New Jersey, she has studied piano and violin intensely since the age of four and received training at Temple Music Prep and the Settlement Music School. She has attended the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and played in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. She is a current member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. This is her second season with IUBT.

Irina Ter-Grigoryan received her degrees of piano performance, pedagogy, and accompaniment in the former Soviet Union. She served as a faculty member at the Baku State Conservatory and as an accompanist for the Azerbaijan State Theater Opera and Ballet. She was selected from a small pool of musicians to accompany international and regional competitions representing the Soviet Union. During her time in the United States, she has continued her work as an accompanist with the Temple Square Concert Series Recitals in Salt Lake City, Utah; University of Utah; and Ballet West Co.; and as a collaborative pianist at DePauw University. She currently holds the position of accompanist and music director with the IU Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department.

Mary Elizabeth Bastian is a junior from Rochester, N.Y., pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Exercise Science at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She began her training at the Draper Center for Dance Education School and the Rochester City Ballet under the artistic direction of Jamey Leverett from the age of 7 through 18. Bastian continued her training at Boston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet summer intensives as well as summer intensives at Draper Center. She was a recipient of the Scholastic Arts Spotlight through WROC and Fox Rochester, the Harry Karpinski Leadership Scholarship through BOCES United Professionals, the Premier Young Artist Award Scholarship, and the Ken C. Whitener Jr. Fund for Ballet Excellence. Bastian competed in the Youth America Grand Prix, placing in the top 12 in both the contemporary and classical categories. She was awarded Regional Outstanding Dancer from New York City Dance Alliance and was invited to compete at the nationals in New York City, where she won a dance education scholarship. She has performed with the Rochester City Ballet in Cinderella, The Firebird, The Nutcracker, The Blood Countess, and George Balanchine’s Serenade. At the Jacobs School of Music, she has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère, and George Balanchine’s Emeralds, Rubies, Swan Lake, and Concerto Barocco.

Andrew Copeland began studying ballet in 2001. He trained at the Rowland/Ballard School of Ballet and Gymnastics in Kingwood, Texas, under Sheryl Rowland and at the Akiko Kanamaru Ballet Studio in Japan. He has attended the summer intensives of Ballet West for two years, Oklahoma City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Portland Festival Ballet on full scholarship. He is a recipient of the Premier Young Artist Scholarship from the Jacobs School of Music as well as the United Airlines Scholarship. At IU, Copeland is a Founders Scholar and a member of the Hutton Honors College and the Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies. With IU Ballet Theater, he has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker (Cavalier, Snow Cavalier, Arabian), Paul Taylor’s Airs, Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, David Parsons’s The Envelope, and George Balanchine’s Swan Lake (Prince Siegfried). He is currently a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance and Biochemistry.

Tyler Dowdy is a junior at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Originally from Tampa, Fla., he began formal training at Next Generation Ballet under the direction of Peter Stark. While at Next Generation, he appeared in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. Since arriving at Indiana University, Dowdy has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker (Trepak, Dolls, Chinese), Twyla Tharp’s Surfer at the River Styx, Anthony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Merce Cunningham’s Duets, David Parson’s The Envelope, and George Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations and Rubies.

Eli Downs is originally from Washington, D.C., and has trained at The Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Kee Juan Han. He was also coached by former Paul Taylor dancer Constance Dinapoli. Downs has performed in Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker (Nutcracker Prince), Don Quixote (pas de trois), and Paul Taylor’s Aureole (second solo). At IU, he has appeared in Balanchine’s Rubies and Merce Cunningham’s Duets. He has attended the summer intensives of American Ballet Theatre, The Washington School of Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Downs is currently a sophomore pursuing a degree in ballet and business.

Colin Ellis is a junior from McHenry, Ill. He began his classical training at age five at the Judith Svalander School of Ballet on full scholarship. He has attended summer intensive programs with American Ballet Theatre, the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in New York City, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Ballet Chicago, all on merit scholarships. He was awarded third place at the 2012 Carey Rose Winski Dance Scholarship Competition and received the 2013 Woodstock Fine Arts Scholarship. In 2014, Ellis won third place in the National Society of Arts and Letters Classical Ballet Competition. At IU, he has performed principal roles in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Anthony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Merce Cunningham’s Duets, Paul Taylor’s Musical Offerings, and Balanchine’s Emeralds, Concerto Barocco, and Swan Lake as well as core positions in Paul Taylor’s Airs and Balanchine’s Rubies. A recipient of the Premier Young Artist Award at the Jacobs School of Music and a member of Hutton Honors College, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management.

Leah Gaston is a junior from Austin, Texas, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Education. She began training at Ballet Austin Academy at age three and danced with the trainee program before graduating from high school. While at Ballet Austin Academy, she performed alongside the company in productions such as The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Gaston has spent summers training at Ballet Austin, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Boston Ballet, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, and Ballet Chicago. At IU, she has performed in La Bayadère, Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, and George Balanchine’s Rubies and Swan Lake.

Julian Goodwin-Ferris started his training at the Houston Ballet Academy, where he danced for more than 10 years. He danced numerous roles at the academy, including an adagio variation from The Sleeping Beauty, a solo in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake hunt scene, and parts in Brigade and Napoli. With the company, he danced small roles in Romeo and Juliet, La Sylphide, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, and The Nutcracker, among numerous other ballets. Last year, Goodwin-Ferris studied ballet with Phillip Broomhead and Steven Brule, and visited the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz in Dresden, Germany, for a month. Between 2007 and 2009, he sang in the children’s chorus for Houston Grand Opera’s productions. In 2009 and 2010, he sang a solo in The Village of Waltz for Hope Stone Dance Company. He has performed roles in several Shakespeare plays, including Anthony in Julius Caesar, Oberon in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and Feste in Twelfth Night. He is pursuing an outside field in music.

Bethany Green is a senior in the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department. At age three, she began training at Southold Dance Theater in South Bend, Ind., under the direction of Erica Fischbach. While at Southold, she danced in both full-length ballets and original choreography, performing roles such as Myrtha in Giselle and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She has competed in the Youth America Grand Prix as a soloist and in ensembles, placing in the top 10 as a classical and contemporary soloist and advancing to the New York City finals. Green has attended summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Ballet Chicago, and has also trained under Kimmary Williams, Jacob Rice, Anna Reznik, and Alexei Kremnev. Green spent last summer in Barcelona, Spain, interning as a dancer and administrative assistant with Centro de Danza Maxime d’Harroche. While at IU, she has performed in works by George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, and Antony Tudor.

Cara Hansvick is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She grew up in Evanston, Ill., and began dancing at Dance Center Evanston under the training of Bea Rashid. She attended annual workshops and was awarded a full merit scholarship to the Cecchetti Council of America’s summer program. She also attended the Milwaukee Ballet Summer Intensive, received a partial scholarship to the Point Park University Summer Intensive, and attended the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Summer Program. She received a full merit scholarship to spend last summer at the Chautauqua Institution as an apprentice with Charlotte Ballet. There she performed with the company multiple times and with the festival dancers in principal roles. She was awarded first place during the choreography workshop, and her piece Amoroso was performed in the Chautauqua Amphitheater. Hansvick is the recipient of the Jacobs School of Music Dean’s Scholarship and is a member of Hutton Honors College. At IU, she has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère, and George Balanchine’s Emeralds. She has danced principal roles in Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, George Balanchine’s Swan Lake and Concerto Barocco, and Merce Cunningham’s Duets.

Alexandra Hartnett is a senior from Malvern, Pa., pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Informatics. She began her training on scholarship in The Rock School for Dance Education’s professional development program working with Mariaelena Ruiz. Hartnett continued her training during summers at The School of American Ballet (2008-09) and on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet (2010), Boston Ballet (2011-12), and Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York (2013). She was a second-round top-12 finalist in the 2011 Boston International Ballet Competition. In 2011, she received a National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts YoungArts and Presidential Scholars Program award. After graduating from high school, Hartnett danced as a company artist with Ballet Arizona for the 2011-12 season before coming to IU. She is a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship from the Jacobs School of Music and the Lynn Brower Shonk Memorial Scholarship from the Kappa Gamma Foundation. She is a member of Hutton Honors College, Founders Scholars, IU Dance Marathon Marketing Committee, and Kappa Gamma Fraternity for Women. At IU, she has performed principal roles in Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring, Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Violette Verdy’s Variations for Eight, Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère, and George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Emeralds, Rubies, The Four Temperaments, Divertimento No.15, and Western Symphony.

Alexandra Elizabeth Hutchinson, born in Newark, Del., is a junior at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She began her formative classical ballet training at the age of three under the tutelage of Victor Wesley at the Academy of the Dance in Wilmington, Del. Following her move to Washington, D.C., she studied for eight years at The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB), where she was awarded the Virginia Johnson Scholarship for three years. As a member of TWSB’s professional training program, she trained under Kee Juan Han, Vladimir Djouloukhadze, Kristy Windom, Monique Meunier, Constance Dinapoli, Anna-Marie Holmes, and Carlos Valcárcel. As intermediate study, her performance repertoire comprised a number of standards, including Choo San Goh ‘s Fives, The Great Gatsby, Le Corsaire, Sleeping Beauty Variation, Marius Petipa’s Paquita, George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker. She has danced in master classes under Elaine Kudo, Penny Frank, Septime Webre, Virginia Johnson, David Hallberg, Nilas Martins, David Palmer, and Julie Kent. Hutchinson is the recipient of two Kennedy Center Honors Scholarships to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater summer intensives. She also attended summer intensives at the Alonzo King LINES Ballet (2014), L’Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris (2015), and Carolina Ballet (2015). At IU, she has performed a variety of roles, including in The Nutcracker and Balanchine’s Swan Lake, Emeralds, and Rubies as well as a featured role in Paul Taylor’s Airs.

Glenn Kelich is a sophomore from Arcadia, Ind. He began studying ballet as a high school sophomore with Indiana Ballet Conservatory under the direction of Alyona Yakovleva-Randall. He has attended summer intensive programs with The Rock School for Dance Education, Ballet West Academy, and Joffrey Ballet School, all on full scholarship. In 2014, he was awarded the gold medal for classical variations at the Youth American Grand Prix regional and qualified for the finals in New York City. At IU, Kelich has performed in Anthony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, and Balanchine’s Rubies. A recipient of the Premier Young Artist Award and the William and Emma Horn Scholarship at the Jacobs School of Music, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Business.

Jared Alexander Kelly is a freshman pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Business at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He began dancing at the New Macedonia Baptist Church as a member of the Liturgical Dance Ministry under the direction of Renee Henry. He continued dancing at the Thomas G. Pullen K-8 Performing Arts School in Landover, Md. During that time, Kelly was accepted into the Dance Theatre of Harlem Pre-Professional Residency Program at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In sixth grade,

he began more intensive training at The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB) with Kee Juan Han and Katrina Toews. With TWSB, he performed at the White House for President and First Lady Obama. He also performed in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker with Pennsylvania Ballet at the Kennedy Center. At Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA), Kelly trained with Norma Pera and performed numerous lead roles, including The Preacher in Appalachian Spring by Martha Graham, Waltz and Elegy Male in Serenade by George Balanchine, and The Nutcracker Prince in Barry Hughson’s The Nutcracker, on the Lyric Opera House stage in Baltimore. While at BSA, he became a founding member of Vision Contemporary Dance Ensemble under the artistic direction of Katherine Smith. He has attended the summer programs of The Washington School of Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Boston Ballet School, and the School of American Ballet.

Megan Klamert is a junior from Akron, Ohio, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Exercise Science at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. At a young age, she began her ballet training in Vaganova technique and continued with American ballet technique under the direction of Mia Klinger. In 2005, she became a company member with the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet and performed many roles in the company throughout her high school years. Klamert has attended summer intensives at the Chautauqua Institution (2008), Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive (2010), Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (2011), and Indiana University (2012). With IU Ballet Theater, she has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère, and George Balanchine’s Emeralds and Concerto Barocco. She is a recipient of the Premiere Young Artist Scholarship and the Music Faculty Award.

Grace Koury is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management. She is from Altoona, Pa. Koury received her early training at Allegheny Ballet Company and spent her senior year of high school at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Ma. While at IU, she has performed in works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, and Antony Tudor. She has also danced in IU Opera Theater’s productions of Verdi’s La Traviata and Menotti’s The Last Savage.

Colette Krey is from San Francisco, Calif. She began her ballet training at age three and at age 10, was training at the San Francisco Ballet School. She has performed roles in The Nutcracker, Western Symphony, La Sylphide, Tarantella, The Sleeping Beauty, D’Isoline, and Giselle. She has also trained at The School of American Ballet and L’Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris. Krey is currently a junior at Indiana University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Environmental Management.

Sarah Marsoobian is originally from Connecticut, where she studied with Gloria Govrin at Eastern Connecticut Ballet. While there, she performed featured roles such as Dewdrop in The Nutcracker and the harp solo in Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations. Marsoobian has spent her summers studying with the Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and on scholarship at Carolina Ballet and Ballet Chicago. Since coming to IU, she has danced in The Nutcracker (Columbine Doll, Chinese, and Mirlitons demi) and in Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations, Rubies, and Swan Lake. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in Arts Management and is a member of the Hutton Honors College.

Natalia Mieczykowski trained at Cincinnati Ballet’s Otto M. Budig Academy for 14 years, beginning at the age of three. She has danced in The Nutcracker, Bolero, Giselle, Princess and the Pea, and Alice (in Wonderland). In 2011, she joined Cincinnati Ballet Company as a junior trainee and was offered a trainee position in 2012. Some of her favorite roles include Snow, Flower, and Dew Drop. She has attended summer intensive programs at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Next Generation Ballet in Florida. Mieczykowski attended the School of Creative and Performing Arts for two years of high school and graduated from Lakota High School with high honors. Since coming to IU in the fall of 2013, she has danced in The Nutcracker, Emeralds, Rubies, Concerto Barocco, Swan Lake, and La Bayadère. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in Exercise Science as a pre-physical therapy student. Mieczykowski has been awarded the Jacobs School of Music Premiere Young Artist Award, Carl G. and Mazelle Van Buskirk Scholarship, and Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation Scholarship. She is a Hutton Honors College student and a National Scholars Collegiate Society member.

Megan Noonan is a senior from Carmel, Ind. She trained under Suzann DeLay at Central Indiana Academy of Dance and was a senior company member for five years in Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. During the past few summers, Noonan has trained at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Cincinnati Ballet, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. At IU, she has performed in Balanchine’s Western Symphony, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Emeralds, and Rubies as well as Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker. She received a Dean’s Scholarship from the Jacobs School of Music and is a Founders Scholar. Noonan is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Kinesiology.

Lily Overmyer is from Manhattan, N.Y. She trained at The School of American Ballet and Ballet Academy East, where she studied under Darla Hoover. Her summer training includes Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Boston Ballet School, and Miami City Ballet. She received full scholarship as an apprentice at the Chautauqua Institution with Charlotte Ballet Company in 2015. At IU, Overmyer has performed most recently in Balanchine’s Rubies, Emeralds, and Swan Lake (Act II), David Parson’s The Envelope, and Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker (Snow Princess, Chinese, and Marzipan). She is currently a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management.

Allison Perhach, a senior from Leesburg, Va., began her serious ballet training at The Loudoun School of Ballet under Maureen Miller and Sharon Mercke. There she performed roles such as Odette/Odile, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Aurora as well as a variety of contemporary work. With IU Ballet Theater, Perhach has performed in Bournonville’s Tarantella, Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Western Symphony, Divertimento No. 15, Donizetti Variations, the pas de trois in Emeralds, the principal female in Rubies, and the Second Violin in Concerto Barocco. She was also a featured dancer in Paul Taylor’s Airs, the fourth soloist in Tudor’s Dark Elegies, in the second and fifth section of Merce Cunningham’s Duets and in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker as the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Arabian female. Perhach is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management. She is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and a Jacobs School of Music Premier Young Artist scholarship recipient.

Imani Idell Sailers is a native of Chicago, Ill. At the age of three, she began her dance training at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center under the direction of Homer Hans Bryant. Some of Sailers’ performance highlights include dancing at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2010 Inaugural White House Dance Series and performing in Memoria with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has also competed in several dance competitions, including the Youth America Grand Prix and the Carey Rose Winski Dance Scholarship Competition, and won first prize in the 2014 ballet competition for the National Society of Arts and Letters-Bloomington Chapter. While at IU, she has performed in Merce Cunningham’s Duets, Paul Taylor’s Airs, George Balanchine’s Swan Lake, and Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies. Sailers has spent her summers attending workshops and programs at her home studio as well as at The School at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the Hartt School, English National Ballet USA, Carreño Dance Festival, North Carolina Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Giordano Dance Chicago Jazz Dance World Congress. Sailers is a Hudson and Holland Scholar and a member of the Hutton Honors College. She is also a National Achievement Scholar through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Political Science and a minor in Philosophy.

Kenneth Shelby is a senior at Indiana University. He first gained his passion for dance while in his former dance group Anointed Praise at church, watching his older sister and cousin, Allicia Gonzalez and Alexys Cobb. In fourth and fifth grade, he attended Perkins Elementary, where he first gained his ballet training with some influences of tap and jazz. He then went to John Hopkins Middle School in the magnet program for dance; for three years, he studied in the Vaganova method of ballet and character. In high school, he attended the magnet program Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High and studied the Vaganova method and the Horton Technique. Shelby is majoring in ballet at IU, training in the Balanchine style. He has performed many pieces, ranging from Martha Graham to Bournonville.

Emily Smith is a junior from Gurnee, Ill., and received her early training at Dancenter North under the direction of Cheri Lindell. While there, she danced featured roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She spent five summers attending intensive programs at Miami City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. At Indiana University, she has performed in La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Rubies, Concerto Barocco, David Parsons’ The Envelope, and Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker. Smith is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Biology. She is a recipient of a Hutton Honors Scholarship and the Music Faculty Award from the Jacobs School of Music. She is a Founders Scholar and a member of Hutton Honors College, Intra-Collegiate Emergency Medical Service, and Alpha Phi International Women’s Fraternity.

Raffaella Stroik, from South Bend, Ind., is a junior at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music She trained at Southold Dance Theater under the direction of Erica Fischbach. There she danced featured roles such as Swanhilde in Coppelia and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She competed as a soloist in the New York City finals of the Youth America Grand Prix. While at IU, Stroik has danced principal roles in Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies and George Balanchine’s Emeralds as well as the Swan Queen in Balanchine’s Swan Lake. She has participated in American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive in New York City, Boston Ballet’s summer dance program, and Ballet West’s summer intensive on full scholarship. She has also studied with Fabrice Herrault and Sofiane Sylve.