The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The Modern Motion Dance Studio will present its annual holiday program, “A Very Modern Nutcracker” at 2 p.m . Dec. 13 at Franklin Middle School, Francis Street.
The show features ballet and jazz dance pieces with children ages 3 through 18. The school uses a blend of the traditional Tchaikovsky score with contemporary musical arrangements for the party scene, Drosselmeyer, and pas de deux.
“A Very Modern Nutcracker is a family-friendly show and a great way to introduce youngsters to the fun and magic of dance theatre,” the school’s executive director, Ginger Haithcox, said in a press release. “We preserved the storyline while shortening the show to about an hour and adding some great jazz and funk beats to include the kids in our jazz and hip hop classes in the production.”
Solo roles feature several township students including Dhvani Joshi as Clara, Tajhanae Knibbs as Chocolate, Courtney Nicholson as the Mouse Queen, and high school senior Jazmine Fisher returning in her role as the Sugarplum Fairy. The role of the Nutcracker is played by Isaac Raymond and Drosselmeyer and Cavalier by guest artists and friends of the dance school. Students will be performing original choreography by Kate Matseur and Ginger Haithcox.
The Nutcracker tells the story of a girl, Clara who receives a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. Her doll comes to life and dances the night away with her. As Clara is fast asleep and starts to dream, her nutcracker becomes a brave prince that stands up to the Mouse Queen, then takes her on a journey through the snow and into the land of the sweets where they meet chocolate, tea, coffee, marizpan, candy, and even the Sugarplum Fairy.
Tickets are on sale now, visit www.modernmotion.org/Nutcracker or email info@modernmotion.org for information.
Modern Motion Dance School is a 501(c)3 charitable organization located at 1 Railroad Avenue, Middlebush, that offers dance classes for children ages 3-18.
The school offers affordable dance classes and scholarships for those in need.
Find more information about Modern Motion at www.modernmotion.org.
