The beloved holiday ballet tells the timeless tale of a young girl’s magical visit to a dream land, where she encounters fabulous characters from all over the world, rescues The Nutcracker Prince from the evil Rat Queen, and is blessed by the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Nutcracker, composed by Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petipa, contains some of the most elegant classical music and ballet ever created, from the sensuous Arabian dance to the familiar favorite, Waltz of the Flowers. This year, as always, "real" snow will fall in The Land of Snow scene, the Chinese Teapot will dance, and little Bon Bons will roll out from under Mother Ginger’s skirts. This ballet is the perfect gift for boys and girls of any age, with its spell-casting loveliness, its humor, and its athletic wonderment.

Male and female professionals from The Asheville Ballet dance principal parts in the production, while advanced students from studios all over Western North Carolina participate in the corps de ballet. A cast of over 80 dancers performs almost 200 roles in this extravaganza. New costumes this year, hand-made in The Ukraine, add a special touch to an already lavish production.

Sugar Plum Fairy will be danced by Blair Chamberlain of Asheville. Her Cavalier will be performed by Lyle Laney. The important roles of Clara, Snow Queen, Dew Drop Fairy, The Nutcracker, Arabian, Angel, and Lead Ginger will be danced by Megan Jones (of Asheville Dance Theater), Amy Kohler, Breah Page (of Waynesville), Sam Humphries, Allison Hertzberg, Amy Strickland, and Lauren Anderson.

The mission of the Asheville Ballet Guild, Inc. is to support the artistic, educational and outreach activities of the Asheville Ballet and AnnDunnDANCErs (ADDANCE) while creating a Center for Dance Arts Education for the Western North Carolina region.

The Asheville Ballet Guild, Inc. (ABG) is one of Western North Carolina’s oldest non-profit arts organizations. First incorporated in 1963, the Guild has created and presented work in Asheville every year since. In an average season, our formal and educational outreach programming affects a culturally diverse audience of approximately 23,000 people. An active advisory panel and a strong, well-organized volunteer base assist the ABG board.

ABG has produced residencies by historical choreographers (Anna Sokolow, Douglas Dunn, Lori Bellilove), hosted master classes and workshops by international dance stars (Sean Curran, Mark Dendy, Chuck Davis, David Dorfman), produced the three-week "Fall Into Dance" festival, and commissioned both classical and contemporary choreography.

ABG productions reflect our varied interests. Work has been produced for fund-raisers (The Health Adventure, The Arts Council), for civic events (Martin Luther King Day, Bele Chere Festival), and for commercial events (The Miss Asheville pageant, opening for the Pointer Sisters).

Since its inception, ABG has produced both cutting edge interdisciplinary work and full-length major work. We have collaborated with other local art agencies (the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Bravo Concerts, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville Lyric Opera), and have worked live with the area’s major musical, poetic and visual artists.

In addition to promoting new work and a professional ballet company for the Western North Carolina region, ABG offers an annual lecture series on dance appreciation, in co-ordination with other local dance presenters, and generates educational articles on dance history and appreciation for national publications and a wide variety of local journals. We have also built a full library of dance-related material.

Our commitment to supporting ABG’s professional adult members is evidenced by our challenging and stimulating performances, choreography, and teaching opportunities. ABG continues to nurture the careers of our advanced youth members. Dancers who have worked with ABG have performed with Alvin Ailey, Kirov Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Forth Worth Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Boston Ballet, Geneva Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. ABG dancers have appeared in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and have won titles all the way up to Miss America. They have also been accepted at the schools of the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Juilliard, Boston Ballet, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham (company apprenticeship), Robert Joffrey (company apprenticeship), and The Dance Conservatory at Purchase.

ABG has created and found funding for scholarships for advanced dancers to pursue professional work in New York and Europe, and for underprivileged children to study dance right here in Asheville. We have worked with Project Steam, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Helpmate, Elida Home, Presbyterian Home for Children, and local churches to locate and encourage new dancers and dance-appreciators. Our Tix for Tots program makes hundreds of tickets available to introduce children to the wonders of dance.

At Asheville Ballet Guild, we have built our reputation on a belief that dance plays a vital role in the education and culture of our community. We stand by our mission . . .