As Christmas draws near, the ballet students at 5678 Dance
Academy in Elizabeth are showing their spirit by performing two
shows of the Nutcracker ballet.
The performances are part of the Nutcracker and educational
outreach program aimed to teach children about the Nutcracker and
the art of ballet in general, said by Michelle Privratsky, owner of
5678 Dance Academy.
“Not that many kids get to see the Nutcracker,” she said.
The show will be narrated by Privratsky and dancers will perform
excerpts from the ballet. The first performance is at 9 a.m. on
Dec. 12 at Frontier High School in the gym and the second
performance is at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 19 at Running Creek Elementary.
Dancers from all ballet levels will perform, including youngest
dancers in kindergarten performing as the mice in the ballet.
Privratsky said the shows are not only important for the kids
watching but also for her dancers because it gives them the
opportunity to perform in front of their peers.
“The kids love doing the Nutcracker and it’s exciting for them
to show everybody what they do,” she said. “It’s been a great
experience for them.”
Both performances are open to the public. Those who attend the
show at Running Creek Elementary will need to stop by the office
and pick up a visitor’s pass.
All of the 5678 Dance academy students will also perform in
their Christmas show at 2 p.m. Dec. 13 in the cafetorium at
Elizabeth High School. The show will last about two hours and
dances will be done to holiday-themed music. This show is also open
to the public.
