MANCHESTER, NH – Enjoy the magic and beauty of the timeless classic, The Nutcracker, this holiday season as Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater (SNHDT) performs this holiday classic at the historic Palace Theatre in downtown Manchester, Thursday, November 20th through Sunday, November 23rd.
The 25th annual performance boasts a cast of over 60 talented dancers and performers, including many talented guest artists. New to cast this year is Joseph LaChance and SNHDT alumni, Lauren Felthun. Joseph LaChance will perform the role of Cavalier, Snow King and Arabian Soloist. A graduate of Indiana University, Mr. LaChance was awarded a Dowd Merit Scholarship to Ballet Chicago under directors Dan Duell and Patricia Blair. Mr. LaChance’s professional credits include Ballet Chicago, Safe Haven Ballet to name a few and has appeared in numerous leading roles throughout his career. Lauren Felthun will perform the coveted role of the Sugar Plum Fairy, a role she performed while training at Southern NH Dance Theater. Lauren continued her professional training at Ballet Academy East in New York City, under Stacey Calvert and Cheryl Yeager and at New Jersey Ballet under Maria Kowroski. Lauren has appeared in George Balanchine’s Snowflakes and Sonance, an original ballet by Harrison Ball.
Joseph and Lauren will be joined on stage by many talented guest artists that are returning to the Palace Theatre stage again this season. Those fan favorites include Zackery Betty-Neagle who will reprise his role as the Nutcracker Prince, Soldier Doll and Chinese Soloist. Mr. Betty-Neagle is the Artistic Director of NSquared Dance. He holds his MFA in Choreography from Wilson College and BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College. He has collaborated with The Palace Theatre, Southern NH Youth Ballet, Currier Museum of Art, and New Hampshire Dance Collaborative. Assaf Benchetrit to perform the roles Cavalier and Arabian Soloist. Mr. Benchetrit began his studies at the Rubin Academy for Music and Dance in Jerusalem, Israel and has danced with the Jerusalem Dance Theater, the Panov Ballet, and companies such as The Joffrey, Metropolitan Classical Ballet, Alabama Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Portland Ballet, and Gelsey Kirkland Ballet.
Nathan Duszny will perform the roles of Drosselmeyer, Snow King and the Spanish Soloist. His dance credits include 1st National Tour Finding Neverland, National Tour Beauty and the Beast, 1st National Tour Flashdance, Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular, Hairspray, The Chase Brock Experience, She Loves Me, Hello Dolly, and more. Nick Neagle will perform the roles of Mouse King, Spanish Dancer, and Candy Cane Soloist. Mr. Neagle holds a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College and co-founded the NSquared Dance Company. He has self-produced three shows in New York City and two domestic tours to Portland, Maine. He is a recurring choreographer for the Queensboro Dance Festival and the Moving Beauty Series, among others. Thomas Ortiz is a proud graduate of SNHDT and is returning to The Nutcracker stage to perform the roles of Soldier Doll, Spanish Dancer and Chinese Soloist. Mr. Ortiz has worked and performed in theaters across the country including Drury Lane Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Theater at the Center, Bucks County Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre Company of DC, Joyce Theater, Symphony Space, The Kennedy Center Opera House.
Southern NH Dance Theater has several artists-in-residence once again returning to the production. Faculty member Douglas Davis will reprise his role of Drosselmeyer. Mr. Davis has danced in both the United States and Europe with the Los Angeles Ballet, the Frankfurt Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and Bern Ballet. Erika Davis, another SNHDT alumni, will perform as Frau Silberhaus. Erika’s training and professional affiliations include Carolina Ballet, School of American Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Philadelphia Dance Theater, and Walnut Hill School. Erika has appeared in works by Jessica Lang, Karole Armitage, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Karen Dearborn, Heidi Cruz-Austin, and Ashley Walton. Faculty member and alum Sallie Werst will dance the role of Arabian Soloist. Ms. Werst danced with Bossov Ballet Theater, Vermont Chamber Ballet, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She also studied in New York City at Ballet Academy East with Darla Hoover and several renowned choreographers. Stephanie Noble, a faculty member at SNHDT will perform the role of Mother Ginger. Originally from the New York City dance community, Ms. Noble is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College dance program and is currently a member of NSquared Dance here in NH. Her professional credits include the Off-Broadway musicals, ‘TRUE LOVE” and TV shows, such as TV Land’s Younger, FOX’s The Following, Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and in Rachelle Rak’s The Collaborators.
“We have a talented group of guest artists this year and they will be a great compliment to the many local young dancers in the company,” said Patricia Lavoie, artistic director of Southern NH Dance Theater. Other lead roles will be performed by Southern NH Dance Theater company dancers including Madison Cleland of Bedford (Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy, Snowflake, Mirliton Ensemble); Hadley Hornor of Amherst (Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy, Snowflake); Lily Ferreira of Londonderry (Snow Queen, Mirliton Ensemble, Spanish Lead, Waltz of the Flowers, Snowflake); Lillian Ruby of Goffstown (Snow Queen, Arabian Soloist, Snowflake, Waltz of the Flowers); Skylar Kucera of Brookline (Snow Queen, Snowflake, Spanish Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers); Janavieve Hui of Bedford (Clara, Chinese Soloist, Waltz of the Flowers, Party Girl); Elsa Kelly of Nashua (Clara, Candy Cane, Party Girl); Flannery Condon of Bedford (Clara, Elf, Candy Cane); Athena Santini of Hopkinton (Chinese Soloist, Columbine Doll, Snowflake, Walt of the Flowers, Mirliton Ensemble); Taylor Wydom of Bedford (Harlequin Doll, Snowflake, Spanish Ensemble, Mirliton Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers); Arianna Mistretta of Concord (Lead Mirliton, Spanish Lead, Snowflake, Waltz of the Flowers); Hailey Breuder of Bedford (Dew Drop Fairy, Mirliton Ensemble, Snowflake, Waltz of the Flowers); Meagan Murphy of Derry (Mirliton Lead, Mirliton Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers, Snowflake); Madeline Lerner of Nashua (Harlequin Doll, Mirliton Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers, Snowflake); Harper Lamothe of Peterborough (Chinese Soloist, Doll, Waltz of the Flowers, Snowflake, Mirliton Ensemble); Penny Gioffre of Nashua (Chinese Soloist, Spanish Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers); Sydney Montgomery of Auburn (Columbine Doll, Mirliton Lead, Snowflake, Waltz of the Flowers, Spanish Ensemble); Evangileen Barnett of Auburn (Harlequin Doll, Party Girl, Mouse, Arabian Ensemble, Candy Cane, Zoe Ostermiller of Hollis (Mirliton Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers, Snow Ensemble); Cordelia Barnett of Auburn (Snowflake, Mirliton Ensemble, Waltz of the Flowers); along with many more local talented area youth.
For over 25 seasons Southern NH Dance Theater has established a reputation for offering high-caliber professional performances and this year’s production of The Nutcracker is a time-honored tradition that you will not want to miss. The delicate costumes, engaging and vivid imagery in a fun environment. This holiday classic is a tradition for the whole family to enjoy. The 25th annual production of The Nutcracker will be performed Thursday, November 20th through Sunday, November 23rd. For show times and ticket information call the Palace Theatre Box Office at 603.668.5588 or visit www.palacetheatre.org or www.snhdt.org.