Ballet Mississippi presents The Nutcracker

Begin the holidays with a timeless favorite, Ballet Mississippi's The Nutcracker. Thalia Mara Hall will be filled with the magic of the Christmas season for two performances:

Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

Mikhail Ilyin and Nicole Graniero of American Ballet Theatre will dance the roles of the Cavalier and Sugarplum Fairy; William Fulton of Manhattan, New York will return as Godfather Drosselmeir.

Ballet Mississippi features these local dancers:

• Mary Paxton Gibson and Mary Margaret Sanders as the Angel Fairy
• Kate Hamlin and Sarah Proctor as Spanish
• Lisa Caldwell and Mary-Michael Lindsay as Arabian
• Tia Garland, Ashley O'Mara, Bria Paige, Martha Rayner, and Anna Wise as Chinese
• Alexandra Jones as Russian
• Ansley Brennan and Katarina Pittman as Mirlitons
• Oliver Nash as the Wolf
• Kirsten Kitchens and Hannah Sills as Dew Drop
• Anna Claire Chastain and Suzie Raines as Marie
• Domenica Tellkamp as Fritz
• Carolina Hudson-Naef and Anna Simpson as Snow Queen.

Also scheduled for Nutcracker week are the Sugarplum Fairy Tea on Sunday, December 6, at 12:30 and the Sponsor Wine and Cheese Party Saturday Night.

Purchase tickets online or Call 800.595.4849.

Donate today to reserve your place at the after-show Wine and Cheese party.