Mixed Nuts, a show for ballet and Disney lovers, is coming to Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, December 17 at 1 p.m. Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition and Diane Shumway of Studio 3 will once again add a twist to it during the Bridgehampton-based dance studio’s annual holiday show. This year, Studio 3 will combine the classic with Beauty and the Beast. Past Mixed Nuts have included mash ups with Peter Pan, Annie, Great Gatsby, and The Grinch.
 |
|
This is the 11th annual Mixed Nuts. (Courtesy Photo) |
This will be the 11th production and Shumway hopes to vamp up the traditional story. The show will incorporate jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop to the classical ballet. This updated version of The Nutcracker is written and choreographed with her daughter, Meredith, along with Studio 3 teachers Jenna Mazanowski and Megan Callahan. This show will breathe new life into one of the most famous holiday stories.
Studio 3 is centrally situated in the Hamptons and dancers represent schools, both public and private from Southampton to Montauk. The facility is over 1,500 square feet and is equipped with two dance studios, each with professionally sprung, sub-floor and double hard wood barres. Offering both school year and summer classes, Studio 3 is home to over 100 dancers from toddlers to seniors.
“It’s new and exciting and this year will be set in a small Provincial town in France and will parallel to the setting of Beauty and The Beast as well as the classic Disney characters,” said assistant director and choreographer, Meredith Shumway.
14-year-old Southampton native, Elizabeth Gluck, will be dancing the lead role of Belle, or Clara in the traditional Nutcracker. Thomas Gallo, also a Southampton native, will be playing the role of the Beast or Nutcracker Prince. The Sugar Plum will be played by 15-year-old Sag Harbor resident, Brooke Bierfriend. Bierfriend, has been studying ballet professionally at Studio 3 since age five. Over the past few years, she has been accepted to and attended some of the most prestigious ballet summer intensives in the United States. These “Ivy League” ballet schools include The American Ballet Theater, The Bolshoi Ballet, The Kirov Academy of Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Ballet West and most recently, The Rock School of Ballet. She plans to audition in January to several ballet schools for the upcoming summer season.
 |
|
Last year’s production was Peter Pan themed. (Courtesy Photo) |
Tickets are $25 for general admission seating. Tickets can be purchased online at www.dancestudio3.com or at the door.
Bay Street Theater is located at 1 Bay Street in Sag Harbor. For more information, call 631-725-9500 or visit www.baystreet.org.
