Ballet Theatre Company will present ‘The Nutcracker’ at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford from Dec. 14-17.

Submitted

BTC Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas (right) and Sofia Brummitt as Clara. Courtesy photo

Ballet Theatre Company (BTC) proudly announces its 2017 production of The Nutcracker. BTC’s The Nutcracker adds a military twist to the well-loved tale of young Clara and her magical Prince who travel through a Snow Flake Forest, engage in a battle between soldiers and mice before reaching the Kingdom of Sweets.

Ballet Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that joining the production this year will be two of Hartford’s own local dance professionals, Joseph Beltre and Calvin Bittner, both graduates of the University of Hartford in West Hartford.

Beltre, who debuted with the company at the Dancing for Vegas benefit performance, is set to play the role of the Nutcracker Prince. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Beltre attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. He graduated in 2015 and began his studies as a performance emphasis major at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. Joseph has had the honor of working with choreographers such as Adam Barruch, Damani Pompey, Yesid Lopez, Lucy Bowen McCauley and Stephen Pier. He is current a company member with the Sonia Plumb Dance Company.

Calvin Bittner, a recent BFA dance graduate of The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, grew up in Rocky Mount, NC, studying ballet at the Raleigh School of Ballet, in Raleigh, NC. This past August, his senior choreography project, titled What Happened At The Garden Party, was accepted for performance at Jacob’s Pillow. Calvin will play the dazzling role of Drosselmeyer, Clara’s mysterious and magical godfather.

Also joining the company from London, England, Lisa Fitzgerald will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy for the eighth year and Ricardo Torres, a former principal dancer of Washington Ballet, ABT and Houston Ballet returns to dance the role of the Cavalier.

The entire cast includes over 70 local area dancers, two local professional dancers, and 15 professional dancers from New York City. Under the artistic direction of Stephanie Dattellas, this performance is sure to delight fans from near and far.

BTC, a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit Organization is also honored to continue its 15-year seasonal tradition by offering two, special free Nutcracker performances to over 1,000 local children from child advocacy organizations such as Hartford Performs, Autism Families Connecticut and the Hillcrest Area Neighborhood Outreach Center (HANOC).

Performance dates are Dec. 14 through the 17 at the Hoffman Auditorium on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford. For more information and tickets please call 860-570-0440 or visit www.dancebtc.org.

Ballet Theatre Company and The Nutcracker performances are supported in part by the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the State of CT Department of Economic Development, Office of the Arts, Ensworth Charitable Foundation, the Fund for Greater Hartford and the Delamar West Hartford Hotel.

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Dancer: Kathleen Bollana, Picture Credit: Thomas Giroir