UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
BRIAN COLE
Chancellor
THE NUTCRACKER
A BALLET IN TWO ACTS
Music by PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Choreographed and Directed by ILYA KOZADAYEV
Executive Director
ENDALYN T. OUTLAW
Assistant Director LAURA MARTIN
Répétiteurs
APRIL BALL, PHILLIP BROOMHEAD, BRITT JULEEN GONZALEZ, LAURA MARTIN, JARED REDICK, ANGELINA SANSONE, MIKHAIL TCHOUPAKOV
Guest Lighting Designer PENNY JACOBUS
Production Stage Manager TREY MAZZA
Dean, School of Dance
ENDALYN T. OUTLAW
Dean, School of Design & Production MICHAEL J. KELLEY
Dean, School of Music SAXTON ROSE
Featuring THE UNCSA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Conducted by FELIPE TRISTÁN
DECEMBER 5-7, 2025
STEVEN TANGER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
PRESENTED BY
On behalf of the residents of Greensboro and the Greensboro City Council, it is my great joy to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to all attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ dazzling presentation of “The Nutcracker,” December 5–7, 2025 at the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.
Greensboro is delighted to once again host this extraordinary production, now an eagerly anticipated holiday tradition for our community. We’re thrilled to see “The Nutcracker” return to the Tanger Center stage—where music, dance and imagination come together to create memories that last a lifetime. This cherished collaboration between Greensboro and Winston-Salem continues to celebrate the arts, our shared community spirit and the wonder of the season.
Thanks to the exceptional talent and dedication of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ students, faculty and staff, audiences are sure to be captivated by this year’s dazzling performance.
Best wishes for a joyous holiday season, and may you enjoy every moment of this spectacular show and this special time of year!
Sincerely,
Marikay Abuzuaiter Mayor of Greensboro
On behalf of the 255,000 citizens of Winston-Salem, welcome to the 2025 production of “The Nutcracker,” a beloved holiday tradition presented by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. I thank Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter, the staff of the Tanger Center and the citizens of Greensboro for welcoming “The Nutcracker” with open arms.
This year marks the 60th production of “The Nutcracker,” which was presented in its first year at Reynolds Auditorium in Winston-Salem. In recent decades, the annual holiday production of “The Nutcracker” has taken place at downtown Winston-Salem’s Stevens Center, which is now closed for a much-deserved renovation. We look forward to the return of “The Nutcracker” and many other UNCSA productions after the Stevens Center renovation is completed.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2025 holiday season to everyone from Winston-Salem, Greensboro and the entire Piedmont Triad attending “The Nutcracker.”
Sincerely,
Allen Joines Mayor of Winston-Salem
GREETINGS
DEAR GUESTS,
I am pleased to welcome you to the 60th annual production of the “The Nutcracker,” being presented by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for the third time at the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.
We’re here in Greensboro because our home theater, the Roger L. Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem, closed temporarily in November 2023 for a longawaited comprehensive renovation. But sometimes challenges bring fortuitous opportunities. Thanks to our collaboration with the Tanger Center, not only were we able to preserve the “Nutcracker” tradition for our beloved audiences — we also forged invaluable connections with new audiences across the Triad. The collaboration also allowed the university to continue one of its most important production experiences for students. The UNCSA schools of Dance, Design and Production, and Music collaborate to produce the show, with advanced students performing onand off-stage, mentored and supervised by a distinguished faculty of practicing professional artists.
That is the concept behind UNCSA, the nation’s first and the state’s only residential public school dedicated exclusively to training professional artists. Founded in
Winston-Salem in 1963, opened in 1965, and included in the UNC System in 1972, UNCSA prepares emerging artists for careers in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music at the undergraduate through post-graduate levels, as well as through a specialized high school with free tuition for in-state residents.
I hope you enjoy this presentation of “The Nutcracker,” which features exciting choreography by talented UNCSA faculty member Ilya Kozadayev. The UNCSA Symphony Orchestra will perform the familiar and well-loved score by Tchaikovsky, led this year by award-winning Mexican conductor and UNCSA alumnus Felipe Tristán.
I invite you to return or travel anew to Winston-Salem to experience the multitude of performances and productions happening every week at UNCSA, and continue to attend performances at the magnificent Tanger Center here in Greensboro. The arts are for everyone, and our region is so rich with amazing opportunities to be inspired!
Sincerely,
BRIAN COLE Chancellor, UNCSA
DEAR FRIENDS,
It’s that special time of year when families, friends and loved ones come together to celebrate the wonder and majesty of the holiday season. I am thrilled to welcome you to the 60th production of UNCSA’s “Nutcracker,” as we continue to expand its reach into the broader Triad community.
As we revisit the beloved characters and timeless story, “The Nutcracker” once again promises to fill your hearts with joy, awe and wonder.
This production is truly a labor of love — built in the spirit of community and collaboration. Every member of our School of Dance ballet program participates, alongside students from the Contemporary Dance and Preparatory Dance programs, the School of Music and the School of Design and Production. Together, they bring to life a beautifully polished spectacle. Their passion and commitment, guided by Choreographer Ilya Kozadayev, ground this treasured work in both artistry and lived experience.
We are also deeply grateful to our guest artists — Lighting Designer Penny Jacobus, the Greensboro Youth Chorus Concert Choir and distinguished School of Music alumnus Felipe Tristán, who conducts the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra with such mastery and care.
Thank you for being part of our “Nutcracker” tradition and for making it part of yours. Your presence, your smiles and your appreciation mean the world to us.
We look forward to sharing this magical experience with you and hope it brings warmth and joy to your holiday season — creating moments you’ll treasure long after you leave the theater.
Sincerely,
ENDALYN T. OUTLAW Dean, School of Dance, UNCSA
THE TALE OF THE NUTCRACKER
On Christmas Eve, in a small workshop, Drosselmeyer, a clockmaker by trade, is finishing crafting a magical Nutcracker doll with the help of their apprentice nephew. Meanwhile, the Silverhaus family is hosting its annual Christmas party, attended by friends and neighbors from its small Prussian community. The Silverhaus children, Clara and Fritz, are enjoying the holiday festivities of tree decorating and dancing when the family’s longtime friend, and Clara’s godparent, Drosselmeyer, arrives with an extraordinary surprise.
Drosselmeyer has a parental fondness for Clara and wants nothing more than for her to have a wonderful and magical life. In the hopes that a connection might spark, Drosselmeyer brings their nephew to the party to meet Clara. At the height of the festivities, Drosselmeyer asks their nephew to present the newly crafted Nutcracker doll to Clara. Her brother, Fritz, becomes jealous and breaks the doll. Clara is distraught, but Drosselmeyer comforts her by repairing the broken doll, while casting a magic spell on the Nutcracker. Drosselmeyer tells Clara that the doll needs rest to recover.
As the party winds down and Clara and Drosselmeyer’s nephew say good night to each other, they sense a connection. Clara is sent to bed, but, unable to contain her excitement about her new gift, sneaks back into the living room and falls asleep on the couch, embracing the Nutcracker doll.
During the night, Clara awakes to attend to her Nutcracker. Suddenly, giant mice enter the living room and attack Clara and her Nutcracker doll! She is saved by the unexpected appearance of Drosselmeyer, who sets a magic spell into motion. The Nutcracker comes to life in the form of Drosselmeyer’s nephew, and he and Clara embark on a wondrous journey this Christmas Eve. Together, they brave the terrifying Mouse King and his gang of mice, witness magnificent beauty in the forest of the Snowflakes, and enjoy the warmth of spirit in the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier’s Kingdom in the Land of Sweets. The pair enjoy sweets with Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Marzipan and a Trepak dance. They dance the Waltz of the Flowers with Dewdrop.
The story ends as the two adventurers depart the Land of Sweets after a grand finale, and Clara wakes up back in her living room, having fallen off the couch. As she finds her Nutcracker doll, Clara wonders if her journey was, in fact, a wonderful dream.
CHOREOGRAPHER AND DIRECTOR
ILYA KOZADAYEV
Ilya Kozadayev, originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, received his dance training from Vaganova Ballet Academy; School of American Ballet; Academy of Colorado Ballet; and John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart, Germany. Kozadayev danced professionally, performing an array of international repertoire, as a soloist with Colorado Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet and as a dancer with Boston Ballet. Kozadayev was a winner of the New York International Ballet Competition. He began choreographing for Boston Ballet’s Raw Dance and went on to create ballets for Houston Ballet’s choreographic showcase and original work for Houston Ballet II, Kansas City Ballet, Festival Ballet Providence (now Ballet RI), Milwaukee Ballet II, Oklahoma Festival Ballet, Ballet Arkansas, Tulsa Ballet II, Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, University of Utah School of Dance, and UNCSA, among others. In 2015, Kozadayev won the “Visions Choreography Competition.” In 2017, he created an original version of “Romeo and Juliet” for Festival Ballet Providence that Broadway World hailed as “nothing short of a masterpiece, an absolute triumph for the dancers and artistic team involved in its creation.” Kozadayev’s original choreography has been performed in the United States, Germany, Austria and France. He was a finalist in the National Choreographers Initiative. In 2019, his original choreography for UNCSA was performed at Lincoln Center for the Youth America Grand Prix gala. In 2020, Kozadayev co-directed, wrote and choreographed a film version of “The Nutcracker” for UNCSA during the COVID-19 pandemic, collaborating with three other arts schools on campus in addition to the School of Dance. He went on to expand the 30-minute choreography for the film into a full-length, two-act production for UNCSA in 2021. Prior to joining UNCSA in 2017, Kozadayev served as assistant professor of ballet at the University of Oklahoma School of Dance. He holds an M.F.A. from Jacksonville University.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ENDALYN T. OUTLAW
Dancer, choreographer and educator Endalyn T. Outlaw (née Taylor) is the dean of the School of Dance at UNCSA. She has held the positions of director of Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) School in New York — a company she joined in 1984, becoming a principal dancer in 1993 — and director of the Cambridge Summer Art Institute in Massachusetts. Her extensive administrative, artistic and academic career is steeped in ballet pedagogy, and she has created an eclectic body of choreographic works. With more than 25 years of teaching experience, she has built an arsenal of pedagogic tools and core values that cultivate artistry, mentoring and versatility, and celebrate inclusionary ideals, policies and systems. Outlaw excels at restaging ballets, having performed many of the classics and having worked with luminaries in the field including DTH founder Arthur Mitchell, British-American ballet dancer and choreographer Frederick Franklin, director and choreographer of LINES Ballet Alonzo King, American dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille, and director and choreographer of Garth Fagan Dance and “The Lion King,” Garth Fagan. She has performed on Broadway and stages all over the world, including as an original cast member of Tony Award-winning Broadway productions of “The Lion King,” “Aida” and “Carousel.” Prior to joining UNCSA in 2021, she served six years at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where she taught ballet and musical theater as an associate professor of dance. In 2020 she was appointed the Dean’s Fellow for Black Arts Research.
CREDITS
CREDITS
GUEST CONDUCTOR FELIPE TRISTÁN
Felipe Tristán stands among the most distinguished Mexican conductors of his generation, acclaimed for a career spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia. Recognized for his versatility across symphonic, operatic and ballet repertoire, Tristán serves as artistic director of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, associate conductor of the San Antonio Philharmonic, principal conductor of Ballet de Monterrey, and conductor at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2024, he received the Muzyczne Orły Award from Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for best recording, honoring his album “Flute Concertos: Penderecki & Reinecke with the Janácˇek Philharmonic.” That same year, he produced an album of Schubert works with members of the MET Orchestra — both released on Hänssler Classic; completed a residency with the San Francisco Ballet; returned as conductor of the MET Gala in New York under Anna Wintour and Baz Luhrmann; and appeared in the Disney+ documentary “In Vogue: The 90s,” featuring his preparation process. Following his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, Tristán has led orchestras worldwide, including the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, San Antonio Philharmonic, Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria, Zhengzhou Symphony Orchestra, and most recently, the Prague Philharmonic at the historic Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna. Passionate about contemporary and genre-spanning music, Tristán contributed to the Grammy-winning album “Fandango at the Wall in NY” with Belongó. Also, he has led performances with Carnegie Hall Citywide, the Nuestros Sonidos series, Lincoln Center, and the New York Philharmonic’s Bandwagon and Día de los Muertos. Winner of First Prizes at the Klangkraft Orchester Dirigierwettbewerbs (Germany) and the International Conductors Workshop & Competition (Atlanta), Tristán holds postgraduate studies from the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, University of Houston, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, with advanced conducting courses at The Juilliard School Extension. Upcoming highlights include “La Traviata,” “Giselle,” his Tonhalle Zürich debut, and a 2026 tour of Austria and Hungary.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND RÉPÉTITEUR LAURA MARTIN
Laura Martin is a full professor who has served on the faculty at UNCSA since 2010. She was trained primarily at the Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Mary Day, with supplemental training at the Joffrey School and the Chautauqua Institute. Martin went on to join the Washington Ballet, Miami City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre (ABT), where she danced the works of choreographers including George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Martha Graham, as well as most of the classical ballets. Following ABT, Martin was invited to join the Broadway cast of “The Phantom of the Opera.” She finds that teaching at UNCSA provides incredibly rewarding opportunities that continue to deepen her perspective on ballet. In addition to assisting guest artists with the staging and rehearsing of ballets on campus, Martin has staged work internationally.
RÉPÉTITEUR
APRIL BALL
April Ball draws on her extensive international career as a principal dancer to inspire and educate the next generation of dance artists at UNCSA, where she joined the faculty in 2024. Born in the U.S., Ball enjoyed a distinguished 30-year career as a principal dancer, including tenures with Boston Ballet, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and two decades with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo in Monaco. Renowned for her versatility across both classical and contemporary repertoires, she has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Bolshoi Theatre, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and Teatro La Fenice in Venice. She holds a French National Diploma in Dance Education, ABT National Teaching Curriculum Certification through Level 5, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in leadership and communications and positive psychology.
RÉPÉTITEUR PHILLIP BROOMHEAD
Phillip Broomhead joined the School of Dance in 2024. He was born in London, England, and trained at The Royal Ballet School. In 1980, he joined The Royal Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 1983 and to principal dancer in 1986, performing numerous times in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and at many other royal galas. Broomhead had several roles created while performing with The Royal Ballet, including the Southern Cape Zebra in “Still Life at the Penguin Café” and roles in “Varii Caprice,” “Isadora,” “Pursuit,” “Number One,” “Enclosure” and “L’Invitation au Voyage.” He also created roles in the world premieres of Glen Tetley’s “Lux in Tenebris,” Ben Stevenson’s “Eclipse,” and UNCSA alumnus Trey McIntyre’s “Peter Pan.” Broomhead joined Houston Ballet as a principal dancer in 1991 and made his debut in Ben Stevenson’s “Cinderella.” He was featured in all of Stevenson’s ballets and in many other works. After 13 years of dancing with the Houston Ballet, he retired in 2004 and began freelancing, judging for the Youth America Grand Prix; staging “Sleeping Beauty Act III” and fulllength “Coppelia” for Chamberlain Ballet in Plano, Texas; and teaching and coaching at prestigious schools, companies and universities.
BRITT JULEEN GONZALEZ
Originally from Miami, Florida, Britt Juleen Gonzalez spent most of her performance career as a first soloist dancer in Europe at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam and in Germany’s SemperOper Ballet at its exquisite Opera House. She has also performed with Ballet Arizona, Ballet Gamonet and the contemporary dance companies iMEE, Jacoby & Pronk and SFDanceworks. She has performed in works created by leading classical and modern/ contemporary choreographers such as Marius Petipa, William Forsythe, George Balanchine, David Dawson, Krzysztof Pastor, Rudi van Dantzig, Jirˇí Kylián, Frederick Ashton, Antony Tudor, John Neumeier, Uwe Scholz, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Paul Taylor and many more. Juleen has taught extensively across the San Francisco Bay Area including the company and schools associated with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Oakland Ballet Company and ODC Dance Company. She served as the artistic director for Berkeley Ballet Theater. Juleen studied at the School of American Ballet, New World School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet School and Houston Ballet Academy. She also studied Somatic Movement Education through the School for Body-Mind Centering. Juleen holds an M.F.A. in dance from Hollins University. Before joining the UNCSA School of Dance, Juleen was an assistant professor at San Jose State University, University of Iowa, East Carolina University, Saint Mary’s College and Hollins University.
CREDITS
Assistant Dean of the School of Dance Jared Redick began his ballet training in Reston, Virginia, under the guidance of his mother, Julia Cziller Redick. A graduate of the High School ballet program at UNCSA, he studied under founding Dean of Dance Robert Lindgren. Redick furthered his training at prestigious institutions such as Mikhail Baryshnikov’s School of Classical Ballet and the School of American Ballet. Redick’s professional career took off with the San Francisco Ballet, and he later performed as a soloist with the Miami City Ballet, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and the Boston Ballet. In Boston, he danced a broad repertoire spanning a wide range of styles, including principal roles in works by Marius Petipa, John Cranko, George Balanchine, Jorma Elo, Jirˇí Kylián, William Forsythe, Antony Tudor, Sir Frederick Ashton and Twyla Tharp. After retiring from the stage in 2009, Redick began teaching both nationally and internationally, with engagements at institutions such as the Royal Danish Ballet School, Tivoli Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet School, Orlando Ballet School, Nashville Ballet School, Charlotte Ballet and Yale University. He has also served as a guest ballet master and company teacher with American Ballet Theatre, Finnish National Ballet, Houston Ballet, Nashville Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. Redick is a recipient of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Award for Exceptional Artistic Achievement. In 2012, he was appointed as an associate fellow of Pierson College at Yale University. Since 2013, he has been a judge and master teacher for the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP). For many years, Redick directed the annual UNCSA production of “The Nutcracker,” which Dance Teacher magazine recognized as one of the nation’s best holiday productions. Since 2021, Redick has served as an adjudicator for YoungArts, furthering his commitment to nurturing and recognizing young talent. In addition to serving as the interim dean of the School of Dance for the 2020–21 school year, Redick received both the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award and the inaugural Academic Leadership Fellowship in 2022. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in dance from Hollins University in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
ANGELINA SANSONE
Angelina Sansone began her formal ballet training with Charlotte City Ballet in North Carolina. At the age of 14, she left home to attend The Harid Conservatory in Florida on a full-tuition scholarship. After graduating from Harid, she spent two seasons with The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, where she appeared in Robert Altman’s 2003 film “The Company.” Following her time with Joffrey, Sansone pursued a B.S. in ballet at Indiana University before joining the Kansas City Ballet in 2005. In her 14 seasons with the company, she enjoyed a rich career working with numerous choreographers and performing a wide-ranging repertory of soloist and principal roles. She was also a founding member of the interdisciplinary performance fusion group Quixotic and performed with Chamber Dance, New Orleans Ballet and Motion Dance Theatre. While pursuing her performing career, Sansone maintained an active teaching schedule and participated in a variety of creative projects. For more than 15 years, she served on staff as a ballet teacher with several dance schools and taught as guest faculty across the country. In August 2018, she returned to her home state and proudly joined the ballet faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Before beginning her appointment, Sansone received her certification from the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum in Levels Pre-Primary through Five. Since joining UNCSA, she has staged multiple pieces and assisted in the creation of new works by Ilya Kozadayev, Stephanie Martinez and Gina Patterson. During her summers since returning to North Carolina, Sansone has continued to teach in the regional community, received her Progressing Ballet Technique certification, and, in 2019, traveled to Guangdong, China, as a visiting professor of ballet at Guangdong University. Now an associate professor in the School of Dance, Sansone serves as co-director of the UNCSA Festival of Dance and is a member of the S/OURCE Winter Intensive team. She recently made her choreographic debut on the UNCSA stage with her work “Perhaps,” created for the UNCSA Summer Intensive 2024.
CREDITS
CREDITS
Born and raised in Moscow, Mikhail “Misha” Tchoupakov has performed with the esteemed Bolshoi Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, San Francisco Opera Ballet, and Vienna State Opera Ballet in Austria. His teaching career, which spans over three decades, includes faculty positions at The Royal Ballet School, Elmhurst School for Dance, and English National Ballet School in the U.K., in addition to serving as assistant professor at the University of Utah’s Department of Ballet. Tchoupakov has a longstanding affiliation with the Youth America Grand Prix, where he serves as rehearsal director, judge and master teacher for this prominent ballet and contemporary dance competition in New York. Internationally renowned as a guest teacher, he has instructed at numerous top schools worldwide. Tchoupakov holds an M.F.A. in dance pedagogy and choreography from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. He joined the faculty of the UNCSA School of Dance in 2013 and was promoted to full professor in 2024.
GUEST LIGHTING DESIGNER PENNY JACOBUS
Penny Jacobus is the former lighting director for the New York City Ballet (NYCB) and was with the company from 2000 to 2018. Additional credits include four world premiere designs for NYCB and designs for Christopher Wheeldon and the Morphoses Dance Company and for Tom Gold Dance. She has also assisted on several Broadway shows. Jacobus has lit dance internationally and was the American lighting supervisor for several Kirov Ballet tours in the U.S. She started her New York City lighting career as the Hemsley Lighting Intern at the New York City Opera. Jacobus holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The Nutcracker” is her favorite holiday show and she is grateful for this opportunity to work with the students, faculty and staff at UNCSA.
Howard Jones was the director of scene painting and a UNCSA faculty member from 1996 until he retired in 2017. Before that, he was one of the founders of Cobalt Studio, an apprentice painting studio in New York. He was recognized with the Elliott Norton Award in 2000 in Boston and in 2005 at the World Stage Design Expo. He has designed for the North Shore Music Theatre, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Missouri Repertory Theatre, State Ballet of Missouri, Weston Playhouse, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, American Heartland Theatre, Bay Street Theatre, Starlight Theatre, Goodspeed Opera, Royal Ballet New Zealand, Opera Romania in Bucharest, Triad Stage and the Coterie Theatre. He designed several UNCSA shows, including “West Side Story,” “Oklahoma!” and “She Loves Me.”
NEW COSTUME DESIGNS
MARISSA MCCULLOUGH
Marissa McCullough is director of the Dance Costume Shop and resident costume designer for the School of Dance. In addition to new designs for this production and the 2020 “Nutcracker” film, she has designed for guest choreographers and faculty over the past nine years. Highlights include her designs for Ilya Kozadayev’s “Dream(s)pace,” “Harlequinade,” Stephanie Martinez’s “Wandering On” and Dayna Fox’s “Magnificat.” Before her work for UNCSA, McCullough was a member of the Wardrobe Department for American Ballet Theatre and The Metropolitan Opera, “Forbidden Broadway” and the “American Girl” musical. She holds a B.A. from Marymount Manhattan College.
KATHRYN E.
GRILLO
Retired UNCSA Director of Dance Costume Kathryn Grillo began working at the school in 1984 as a costume designer/draper and adjunct faculty member in the School of Design and Production. After designing several works for the School of Dance, she was hired in 1996 to help craft the costumes for this “Nutcracker” ballet, and her love of dance costuming was sparked. Upon becoming part of the Dance Costume Shop staff, she created and designed numerous ballet pieces, including “Raymonda,” “Don Quixote,” and, when needed, new designs for Snow Pas, Sugar Pas, Clara, the Party Mothers, and the Angels for “The Nutcracker.” She also designed and built many contemporary pieces by established guest choreographers and UNCSA faculty. She created designs for the American Dance Festival, Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre Studio, Ballet Tennessee, and Ballet Spartanburg. She also re-created a number of historical works for both Duke University and UNCSA under the tutelage of the dancers who performed in the original productions of these early 20th-century pieces. From 1991 to 2012, aside from her dance work, Grillo was the resident costume designer/coordinator for Piedmont Opera, originating designs for “The Light in the Piazza,” “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” “La Bohème,” “Turandot” (semi-costumed), and other works. For four of those years she was also resident designer/ coordinator for Opera Carolina. Besides local opera work, she designed costumes for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Opera, Opera Tampa and North Carolina Opera.
CREDITS
CREATING A WORLD OF MAGIC AND DELIGHT
A HISTORY OF THE UNCSA “NUTCRACKER”
“The Nutcracker” has been performed annually by UNCSA since 1966. That year, Robert Lindgren, founding dean of the UNCSA School of Dance, and his wife, Sonja Tyven, a School of Dance faculty member, staged “The Nutcracker” at UNCSA for the first time as part of the town of Salem’s 200th anniversary celebration.
Lindgren and Tyven had only three months and $2,500 to make “The Nutcracker” stage ready. Sets were rented from the Washington National Ballet and supplemented by donations of furniture and props. Recordings of Tchaikovsky’s score were collected. The choreography was modeled after what Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa created for the original production in 1892. The costumes were uniquely UNCSA, envisioned by the school’s then-resident designer, Christina Giannini. “The Nutcracker” was performed by UNCSA students and faculty for the first time on Dec. 10, 1966, in Reynolds Auditorium, and the audience instantly fell in love.
Since that first performance, the UNCSA “Nutcracker” production has been reimagined, re-created and refreshed numerous times. In Year Two, Giannini designed scenery to match the costumes, the latter of which were used for more than 30 years. The original sets were replaced in 1978 with new designs by Mark Pirolo, then-director of the School of Design and Production (D&P) scene design program. Other than a move to the newly refurbished Stevens Center in 1983, the production remained largely unchanged until the late ’90s. In 1998, “The Nutcracker’’ received a significant overhaul. UNCSA D&P alumnus Campbell Baird updated most of the production’s costumes, which harkened back to their 1960s origin. Baird also revamped the sets, and alumnus John McKernon created new lighting, giving a fresh look and feel to the Twin City’s beloved ballet.
The production was reimagined once again in 2009, when Ethan Stiefel, then dean of the UNCSA School of Dance, developed new choreography for the ballet with three
faculty members. Although many of the production materials from the ’90s are still used today, the new staging required several costume and prop changes. Kathryn Grillo and Carolyn Fay, both former directors of the Dance Costume Shop, designed new looks for Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, her Cavalier Prince and Mother Ginger. They also added a corps of Baby Mice. Howard Jones, then-Design and Production’s director of scenic art and scene painting, contributed new scenic elements, including the glorious growing Christmas tree. New lighting was added by D&P alumnus Brad Fields, resident lighting designer for American Ballet Theatre. Also in 2009, the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra, composed of students from the School of Music, served as the production’s pit orchestra for the first time. The Winston-Salem Symphony had been providing live music for the school’s “Nutcracker” since 1969.
Almost all the Sugar Plums and Cavaliers who danced in the UNCSA “Nutcracker” later joined professional companies — many of them as soloists and principal
dancers. UNCSA alumna Gillian Murphy (High School Dance ’96), retired principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, is one of several alumni who have returned to reprise these featured roles. Other renowned guest artists, such as Julie Kent and David Hallberg, have also graced the Stevens Center stage in “The Nutcracker.”
The year 2020 presented challenges like never before as UNCSA acclimated to limitations from the COVID-19 pandemic. The classic work was abridged and adapted/choreographed/directed specifically for film through a unique collaboration among the schools of Dance, Filmmaking, Music, and Design and Production. That “Nutcracker” featured all-new choreography, writing and concept by faculty member Ilya Kozadayev. Magical touches created through visual effects and animation brought the story to life for audiences worldwide.
This year’s “Nutcracker” — originally choreographed and directed by Kozadayev in 2021, working from ideas of his film version, and expanded in 2022 to include the complete score, the boisterous Party Scene and the beloved Mother Ginger — is a reimagining of the original stage production. Clara and her Nutcracker Prince are front and center along with the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snowflakes and Flowers, as well as the showstopping Trepak.
Constantly reinventing itself is how UNCSA is finding innovative ways to provide gifted emerging artists with the experience, knowledge and skills to excel in their disciplines, preparing them to shape the future of the arts and entertainment industry.
Let’s join together in celebrating the University of Nor th Carolina School of the Ar ts.
PRODUCTION STAFF
ASSISTANT DEAN, PRODUCTION
Eric Nottke
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Julie Rundell
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
Trey Mazza
STAGE MANAGER
Kiley Mullins
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (PROPERTIES)
Joshua Givens
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (CASTING & PERSONNEL)
Gavin Laxton
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER (COSTUME)
Sophie Mainwaring
STAGE MANAGEMENT FACULTY ADVISER
Nikki Hyde
TECHNICAL DIRECTORS
Ted Kraus
Zachary Stevenson
GUEST LIGHTING DESIGNER
Penny Jacobus
ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER
Abby Bouck
ASSISTANT LIGHTNG DESIGNER/SPOT CALLER
Theo Brock
PRODUCTION ELECTRICIANS
Trevor Kirschenheiter
Robert Virzera
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN
Makaylah Scobee
LIGHTING PROGRAMMER
Logan Whitten
LIGHTING SHOP FOREPERSON
George Janikula
LIGHTING SHOP STAFF
Jaidyn Lindsey
Fitz Morrissey
LIGHTING DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY FACULTY ADVISERS
Brandon Bagwell
Adam Raine
Aaron Spivey
PROPERTIES DIRECTOR
August Le-Hoang
ASSISTANT PROPERTIES DIRECTOR
Stella Inskeep
PROPERTIES ARTISANS
Jasper Bernauer
Stella Inskeep
Mariana Morales
Jesse Patrello
Violet Saynuk
STAGE PROPERTIES FACULTY ADVISER
Kris Julio
SCENIC ART TOUCH-UP ARTIST
Avery Ehlers
SCENIC ARTISAN FACULTY ADVISER
Susan Crabtree
DANCE COSTUME SHOP DIRECTOR
Marissa McCullough
WARDROBE CREW
Gaby Hertel
Alastair Shoulders
Sara Grace Walker
COSTUME SHOP DRAPERS/FIRST HANDS
Robin Ankerich
Kelsey Burns
STITCHER
Sarah Horvath
COSTUME SHOP WORK-STUDY
Madison McLeod
Scarlet Newton
Mazie O’Keefe
Natalia Sweeney
Sara Grace Walker
COSTUME SHOP VOLUNTEER
Carolyn Fay
WIG MASTER
Scout Jones
ASSISTANT WIG MASTER
Lisse Renteria-Cisneros
WIG AND MAKEUP SHOP MANAGER
Georgie Schall
WIG AND MAKEUP ASSISTANT SHOP MANAGER
Luanda Sentmanat-Blanco
WIG AND MAKEUP CREW
Sienna Bacon
Che Gomez
Luanda Sentmanat-Blanco
WIG AND MAKEUP FACULTY ADVISER
Holland Berson
UNCSA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
UNCSA DEAN OF MUSIC
Saxton Rose
GUEST CONDUCTOR
Felipe Tristán
VIOLIN
Lior Grunwald, Concertmaster
José Sequiera, Associate Concertmaster
Lydia Weesner, Assistant Concertmaster
Darla Hausman, Principal Second
Diego Infanzon, Assistant Principal Second
Santina Benavides
Lucia Bury
Sean Hall
Sara Krank
Dylan Latham
Lara Mršnik Cemažar
Eva Okhotina
Elle Polifka
Zandra Sain
Joseph Sanso
Julian Walther
Gray Wilkins
VIOLA
Ty Willoughby, Principal
Sage Guice, Assistant Principal
Noah Chen
Ava Hirko
Isabella Okhotina
Bailey Rickman
CELLO
Victor Cediel, Principal
Rebecca Fuller, Assistant Principal
Silas Hunt
Anqi Zhao
DOUBLE BASS
Noah Garcia, Co-Principal
Ryan Lawrence, Co-Principal
PICCOLO
Bryan Culler, Principal
FLUTE
Ilya Perepelitsa, Principal
Amanda Wiebelt
OBOE
Sidney Belcher, Principal
Lauren Derflinger
ENGLISH HORN
Ava Bigalke, Principal
CLARINET
Blaine Edwards, Principal
Madyson James
BASS CLARINET
Ryan Holland, Principal
BASSOON
Fernando Peraza Ruiz, Co-Principal
CJ Claggett, Co-Principal
Stephen Olusemire
HORN
Lauren Sellars, Principal
Arturo Dekle, Assistant Principal
Hayden Abercrombie
Wyatt Gibson
Chase Oncken
TRUMPET
Christopher Lewis
Davis Schmidt
TROMBONE
Jordan Shirtz, Principal
Carlos Chavez
BASS TROMBONE
Pierson Rickard, Principal
TUBA
Drake Stewart, Principal
HARP
Annabelle Wang, Principal
CELESTA
AJ Canby, Principal
PERCUSSION (seating rotates)
Monte Eoff
Sophia Pack
Caroline Rucker
ENSEMBLES FACULTY/STAFF
Mark Norman, Director of Instrumental
Ensembles
Ken Wilmot, Director of Artistic Operations
ENSEMBLES PRODUCTION/OPERATIONS
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS
Ahdi Horton
Momo Jackson
Dylan Latham
Yiming Zhao
ENSEMBLES LIBRARY GRADUATE ASSISTANTS
Blaine Edwards
Nick Williams
GREENSBORO YOUTH CHORUS CONCERT CHOIR
Claire Jurs, Director
Andy McGeagh, Assistant Conductor
Angelita Berdiales, Accompanist
Arjun Arunprasad
Ellie Beatty
Landon Bryant
Bethany Coleman
Simone Crawford
Amelia Darty
Caroline Dutton
Eliza Franks
Dior Grice
Karina Havlen
Josephine Hoey
Lou Jurs
Chloe Killian
Ginny Lowder
Allie Maxim
Harshini Mohan
Genevieve Pennington
Zahra Pitts
Lydia Saur
Aarna Sharma
Isla Sink
Elena Smith
LJ Sturdivant
Anmol Suman
Elise Tappouni
Madison Warren
PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURED IN THIS PROGRAM BY
Andrew Bowen
Luke Jamroz
Taylor Jones
Raunak Kapoor
Peter Mueller
Jennifer Scheib
Tony Spielberg
Andy Tennille
FUN FACTS
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS PRODUCTION OF “THE NUTCRACKER”
The Christmas tree is illuminated through a custom, student designed and built LED system. Over 300 individual, wirelessly controlled RGB pixels are used to create the flames and the twinkling lights. Forty-five painted ornaments ranging in size from 3 inches to 16 inches add to the beauty.
It took 18,000 hours to complete the construction and painting of the original scenery and props, all of which was done by students, faculty, staff and alumni from the School of Design and Production.
Whatever stage you’re at or on our nationally renowned care will keep you on the move, with 25 orthopaedic locations throughout northwest North Carolina. Same- and next-day appointments, Saturday hours and walk-ins are welcome at select locations.
Proud to serve as official provider for performers at the UNC School of the Arts.
at every age and stage
We help you do more of the things you love while making care easier and more accessible than ever.
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amazing student dancers
THE NUTCRACKER Bespeaks
Clearly Bespoke Strategies applauds UNCSA’s performances, tailor-made annually for joyful holidays!
Erna Womble, J.D., M.Ed. & Bill Womble, Jr., J.D. STRATEGIC ADVISORS
Over 100 costumes are used in the production of “The Nutcracker.” The most decorated costumes are the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen.
FUN FACT
At Arbor Acres, this season is about togetherness, joy, and the wonder of new beginnings; it’s stepping into a canvas alive with festive traditions, shared laughter, and new adventures.
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There are approximately 90 students per cast, per performance of “The Nutcracker.” Because some roles are cast with multiple dancers, altogether there are 137 high school, college, and Preparatory Dance Program students in the production.
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Seventy-three people make up the technical staff, including crew to load in the show. Forty-six people — including electricians, stage managers, wardrobe and special effects — plus chaperones are needed to run the show each performance.
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TRIAD MOMS ON MAIN
Proud to support the timeless magic of The Nutcracker. Triad Moms on Main is the Triad’s leading online resource and lifestyle brand for parents and families. We celebrate the art of living well—connecting our community to local events, meaningful stories, and trusted recommendations that inspire family life through every season. Discover more at triadmomsonmain.com
Scan the QR Code to stay connected to all things Triad — family fun, local events, and more!
The fur for the mice is actually layers of net, dyed and sewn on stretch velvet and then trimmed (like a topiary or shrubbery sculpture) to create haunches and tummies. From a distance, it looks like fur. The eyes are made of sunglass lenses and the teeth are fake fingernails!
Happiest of Holidays
EXPLORE THE UNCSA SPRING PERFORMANCE SEASON BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW AT UNCSA.EDU/PERFORMANCES!
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
DRAMA
FILMMAKING
MUSIC
Fifty-eight UNCSA student musicians play in the orchestra pit for each performance. They are joined by a group of Greensboro Youth Chorus Concert Choir members.
