Nutcracker

Media City Ballet (MCB), Natasha Middleton-Kettebekov, artistic director, will present a full-length classical storybook version of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's perennial favorite holiday ballet, The Nutcracker , choreographed and directed by Askar Kettebekov, featuring a large cast of professional dancers, accompanied for the first time by The San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor James Domine, with The Taft High...

Universal Ballet, under the general direction of Julia Moon and artistic direction of Oleg Vinogradov, returns to Los Angeles with four performances of its acclaimed production of "The Nutcracker," choreographed by Vasily Vainonen and staged by Oleg Vinogradov to the Tchaikovsky score. The set designs are by Simon Virsaladze and Simon Pastukh and the costumes designs are by Simon Virsaladze. "The Nutcracker" is a magical treat ? a holiday favorite for the entire family. Universal Ballet's "The Nutcracker" is from the original Mariinsky Theater version created by Vasily Vainonen in St. Petersburg in 1934.

organs The Oakmont League of Glendale celebrated the holidays with a dinner dance "The Nutcracker Sweets" organized by chairwoman Martha Feutz and her committee Barbara McCullough, Julie Budimir, Judy Mendicina, treasurer Donna Sauer and president Ann Wacker. Special souvenirs for the evening were framed portraits taken of the guests in their elegant formal attire during the evening. Music for dancing and listening pleasure was performed by the Frank Jordan Band. The date of the party had been changed because it conflicted with the Glendale Symphony's holiday concert and that allowed members to attend both events, to the joy of symphony president Bill Holderness.

Clara, mischievous mice, toy soldiers, live toys and the Sugar Plum Fairy, all from Tchaikovsky's perennial favorite holiday ballet, The Nutcracker, will host Clara's Holiday Tea Party on Sunday, Nov. 13, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will be held in the Royal Crest Room at Pickwick Gardens, 1001 Riverside Drive, Burbank, across the street from the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Cost to attend is $35 per person and includes a fully catered lunch and entertainment. To make a reservation, call 972-9692.

Rima Shah Singing, music and a red-carpet welcome for celebrities marked the beginning of the "The Nutcracker," which was performed Sunday at Glendale's Alex Theatre. Jack Klugman, veteran TV actor from "The Odd Couple," and "Quincy," was one of the celebrities invited to the ballet. Accompanying him was Peggy Crosby, who has appeared in "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Raising Helen," and "The Odd Couple: Together Again." The ballet was presented by the Burbank-based Media City Ballet, featuring a cast of more than 100 dancers.

JOYCE RUDOLPH For this year's "The Nutcracker," Artistic Director Natasha Middleton has added magic to Tchaikovsky's holiday ballet, in two shows on Sunday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Two illusions from the repertoire of the late Harry Blackstone Jr. have been loaned to Middleton for this weekend's performances. A second-generation magician, Blackstone Jr. traveled around the world performing his 2 1/2 -hour show of illusions during the 1970s and '80s, said Dale Hindman, president of the board of the directors of the Academy of Magical Arts, which makes its headquarters at The Magic Castle in Hollywood.

The Fremont Elementary auditorium filled with giggles and cheers as the acting company of "We Tell Stories" jumped from the stage into the audience during their performance Nov. 12. The students of Fremont got to see, hear and even participate in two stories, "One Chanukah in Chelm," by Shalom Aleichem, and "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," by Eta Hoffman. The extremely energetic actors, Stacy Turner, Armando Ortega and Ova Saopeng, did not let the show slow down once as they had the kids roaring with laughter with their version of these books.

A sold-out crowd of families came out to the Pickwick Gardens Sunday afternoon for tea and ballet. "Clara's Holiday Tea Party" was presented by the Media City Ballet to give an appreciation to children and their parents about "The Nutcracker" and ballet in general. Roberta Anders, of Westlake Village, said she came to the tea with her children Natalie, 5, and James, 2, to get into the holiday spirit. "The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition," Anders said.

JOYCE RUDOLPH Media City Ballet's "The Nutcracker" showcased the marvelous talents of the Burbank company's principals as well as punched up the humor during Sunday's matinee performance at The Alex Theatre in Glendale. Ellen Rosa was an exuberant Sugar Plum Fairy while Askar Alimbetov made a gallant showing as her Prince Koklash in the Grand Pas de Deux, which was rewarded with a standing ovation. Both executed numerous lifts and consecutive pirouettes with finesse.