As the leaves start to fall from the trees and days become shorter, the season for hope, holidays, and celebrations comes in. During this season is the annual Corvallis Nutcracker performance! The Regional School of Ballet  used to host this amazing event, igniting imaginations and using creative ways of storytelling. However, the school closed down last spring, due to the retirement of the artistic director Shelly Svoboda, and a new school took its place. This nonprofit group, called the Corvallis Ballet Collective, offers classes in ballet, jazz, and modern dances, widening the already impressive amount of classes available to take. The new artistic director, Leonora Lima, is an impressive ballet teacher. She recently moved from Brazil and decided that the Corvallis Ballet Collective was her next step in her journey. She teaches many classes, and even agreed to re-coreograph an entire nutcracker performance!  This was a large undertaking, as with auditions in September, she had only three months to teach everyone and create a perfect performance; but she was up to the task! Using a little bit of her own nutcracker experience from Brazil, and creating the rest in her artistic mind, she has choreographed an entire ballet, in less than a year! Ms. Leonora showed everyone that it was possible, and her creativity and artistic advice inspired many people to be a part of her work. Now, the Corvallis Ballet Collective presents The Nutcracker! Shows are on December 19th and 20th, at 7 pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2 pm, and this year, it is at Ashbrook Independence School. The show is perfect for all ages, and if there are people in your life who may not be able to sit still for the length of the performance, consider the Mouse King Tea Party, an interactive version of the nutcracker where you meet characters, learn the story, and enjoy a treat while doing so! This show is perfect for young children especially. Tickets are available for both the performance and the tea party at: https://app.gostudiopro.com/tickets/corvallisballetcollective 

And if you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring or donating to the show:

Young or old, all are invited to this year’s performance of The Nutcracker!