Midland Festival Ballet (MFB) will perform its 16th annual production of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” on Saturday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, at 2:30 p.m. in the Lee High School Auditorium.
More than 100 dancers from throughout the Permian Basin including Big Spring, Midland, and Odessa have been cast. They each study dance at multiple studios during the year and audition with MFB in the late summer for the opportunity to perform. Rehearsals have been scheduled weekends at the School of MFB (formerly Coleman Academy) and in additional rehearsal space at Midland Community Theatre during the fall. Live musical accompaniment will again be provided by The Midland-Odessa Symphony conducted by Diane Hilbert.
Dancing the role of Sugar Plum Fairy will be Amy Fote, principal ballerina with the Houston Ballet along with Nicholas Leschke, also of the Houston Ballet, as Cavalier. The two were guest artists for the local performances in 2007. Other guest artists, Christopher Fellows of Milwaukee, Wis., will dance the roles of Snow Cavalier and Arabian, and Joseph Goodman of Dallas will dance as Soldier Doll and Candy Cane Soloist. Johnny Simons of Fort Worth returns as Herr Drosselmeyer.
Ms. Fote trained at the National Academy of Arts and graduated from the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Fla. She danced with the Milwaukee Ballet 14 years before joining the Houston Ballet two years ago. Ms. Fote is pictured in the Fall issue of “Pointe” magazine. She has performed the leads in many great classical ballets, including “Giselle,” “Swan Lake,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Coppelia,” “The Nutcracker” and “Madame Butterfly.”
Leschke began his dance training with Jean Wolfmeyer in Wisconsin. After four years at the Virginia School of the Arts, Leschke performed with Ballet Austin for one year. In July 1996, he joined Houston Ballet as an apprentice and became a soloist in 2000. His repertoire includes a variety of roles. He has been featured in classical ballets, including “Manon,” “Madame Butterfly,” “Peter Pan,” “Dracula,” “Don Quixote,” and many others.
Christopher Fellows, a native of Ithaca, N.Y., began dancing at the age of seven. In 1991, he began studying with Rafael Grigorian and then attended the School of American Ballet from 1993 to 1995 with additional training from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Chautauqua Ballet Company. Fellows danced professionally with The Alabama Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and The Milwaukee Ballet. He is currently a freelance artist and teacher of ballet, as well as a member of the Danceworks faculty in Milwaukee, Wis.
Joseph Goodman began training at age 17 with Director Thom Clower of Yuma Ballet Theatre. After three years of training, he danced professionally with Greensboro Ballet, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet (now known as Texas Ballet Theatre) and Paradise Ballet. Goodman has danced with many civic and pre-professional companies across the United States. He has also choreographed, taught dance and been Ballet Master with several notable companies.
Johnny Simons, co-founder of the Hip Pocket Theatre in Fort Worth, has worked as a playwright, stage director, choreographer, teacher, actor and dancer. Simons' past professional associations include University of Houston, Dallas Theatre Center, Casa Manana, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University and Duke University. “The Nutcracker Story,” based on a tale written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffman, is performed all over the world to the delight of children and adults alike. Midland Festival Ballet's production of “The Nutcracker” has become a part of the annual celebration of the holiday season for many area residents.
