Metropolitan Youth Ballet previews The Nutcracker at Carmel Clay Public Library

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

Families braved the short-lived snow squall Wednesday evening, Dec. 11, to catch a glimpse of Clara and her nutcracker at the Carmel Clay Public Library.

The Metropolitan Youth Ballet of Indiana, formerly Ballet Theatre of Carmel Academy, performed excerpts from their upcoming performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker for the crowd of around 250.

Before the performance, MYB Artistic Director Jane Hachiya-Weiner invited children from the audience to come forward and learn a toy soldier dance. MYF dancers Sam Baskin, Ezra Casimiro, and Antonios Kafantaris led the boys and girls in marching and jumping to the music, ending with a big bow.

Once the kids were seated again, Carmel High School freshman Haley Corsaro performed Clara’s Act I solo with her large nutcracker. In addition, guests watched dances choreographed to some of the iconic Act II music including Spanish Chocolate, Arabian Coffee, Chinese Tea, Russian Nesting Doll Cookies, and French Peppermints. Miriam Danek, a senior at Cardinal Ritter High School, closed out the performance, dancing as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Metropolitan Youth Ballet is a pre-professional ballet school with students from ages three through 18.

Hachiya-Weiner said that the school recently changed its name to better represent their dancers who come from all over the area. In addition, the studio has moved from its former location of 2,300 square feet to a new location at 6210 Technology Center Drive in Zionsville. Hachiya-Weiner said the board determined that, due to a smaller space, the school had to put too many dancers on a waitlist.

“More space means we have lots of room for new students,” she said.

Performances of The Nutcracker will be Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 21 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. at STAR Bank Performing Arts Center in Zionsville. For tickets and more information, visit my-ballet.org.