Community: Pacific Ballet hosts Nutcracker fest

A daylong festival of all things Nutcracker is planned by the Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre on Sunday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.

There will be live music, singing and ornament-making classes for children in the courtyard beginning at noon. Youngsters can meet and pose for pictures with the characters from “The Nutcracker” and take a short ballet class with them at 1, 2 or 3 p.m.

Then, a professional ballet themed to the holidays and featuring the Burbank-based company’s seasoned dancers will begin at 7 p.m. The first act is called “Les Patineurs” or “The Skaters” and will be danced to music composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer, said Artistic Director Natasha Middleton..

Following intermission, the leading artists of the Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre will dance highlights from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” Dancing the role of Clara will be Alexandria “Lexi” Wong, 16, who started with the ballet company when she was 4, Middleton said.

The festival is sponsored, in part, by the Glendale Downtown Merchants Assn. Other organizations collaborating on the festival with the ballet company are the Arthritis Foundation, Glendale Healthy Kids, YWCA and Autism Speaks.

Tickets are $25 to $65. VIP packages start at $90 and include premium seating and a pre-performance reception. Tickets are available by calling (818) 243-2539 or by visiting alextheatre.com.

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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be contacted at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.