Local dancers will experience the magic of ‘The Nutcracker'

Sparta n Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was less than impressed with his ballet, The Nutcracker, but that view is hardly shared by anyone else. While many dance schools stage their own presentations of the famous ballet, it’s every little ballerina’s dream to be part of a major production. That dream came true for more than 80 local dancers chosen for the Moscow Ballet performance at an audition at Linda’ Dance Dynamics on Main Street. The Christmas setting of the ballet creates a problem for touring companies since there are many children in featured roles and the company and touring with children during the school year presents untold problems, Linda Salmeri explained. The Moscow Ballet and other touring companies choose to audition children for the roles. Salmeri said she was chosen for the auditions because of the strong ballet traditions in her school. The auditions, however, were open to students from other dance schools. The dancers will perform in large groups as angels, snowflakes, butterflies, party guests and mice, or in smaller ensembles: Chinese, Spanish, Arabian, Russian and French dancers. Students auditioned from Branchville Dance Center of Lafayette, High Point Dance Center in Sussex; Perfect Pointe, Willow Tree Dance Academy and Dance Dimensions by Michelle in Sparta; Simply Dance and Zigler Dance Center in Vernon; Ballet Barre in Andover, Dream Extreme Dance Arts in Frlanklin and Nina Beecher Dance Studio in Deingman’s Ferry, Pa., as well as from Linda’s. Linda’s had the most students who will be in the production, 32, Branchville was second with 20. Zigler’s placed six; Willow Tree, Ballet Barre and Dance Dimensions have four in the show and the other studios one each. The dancers who will perform, with their parts, ages and hometowns are: Kayla Alexandes, Mouse, 9, Sparta; Shya Beth, Snowflake, 6, Lafayette; Sydney Boone, Chinese dancer, 8, Wantage; Grace Brizek, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Serna Calafati, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Ellie Calvert, Chinese dancer, 13, Augusta; Bianca Cocozziella, Party Guest, 11, Sparta; Sabrina Coe, Butterfly, 11, Newton; Gabrielle Conte, Party Guest, 10, Franklin; Kelsey Corsaro, Arabian dancer, 14, Oak Ridge; Brianna Danielson, Snowflake, 8, Sparta; Theresa Downes, Mouse, 9, Sparta; Stepahnie Downes, Snowflake, 6, Sparta; Maureen Drury, Party Guest, 10, Sparta; McKenzie Dunn, Chinese dancer, 8, Wantage; Gina Emering, Mouse, 11, Newton; Tatiana Ingram, French dancer, 7, Sparta; Erin Fiorella, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Emily Fisher, Angel, 9, Sparta; Kathryn Frontauria, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Madison Gerisch, Mouse, 9, Stockholm; Ariana Genorese, Party Guest, 9, Sparta; Jennifer Giagliardi, Snowflake, 7, Andover; Caity Gonzalez, Russian dancer, 10, Lafayette; Gioia Grasso, Angel, 10, Newton; Elizabeth Hemming, Angel, 9, Sparta; Katherine Hoffman, Angel, 9, Sparta; Victoria Holowienka, Spanish dancer, 13, Hamburg; Brianna Kislak Party Guest, 9, Milford, Pa. Also: Abriella Leggour, Snowflake, 9, Vernon; Noelle Lewis, Mouse, 7, Oak Ridge; Jameson Lowenstein, Spanish dancer, 10, Sparta; Briana Mierle, Angel, 8, Sparta; Emma Matthews, Party Guest, 10, Sussex; Kaitlyn MacMillan, Party Guest, 10, Wantage; Kirsten MacMillan, Snowflake, Wantage; Meredith MackRae, Snowflake, 6, Newton; Katelyn McAndris, Angel, 9, Sparta; Tamara McCloskey, Party Guest, 12, Sussex; Samantha McCurry, Party Guest, 11, Ogdensburg; Hailey Mills, Arabian dancer, 12, Oakridge; Kelsey Moszkiewics, Chinese dancer, 12, Lafayette; Taylor Muse, Snowflake, 6, Sparta; Melissa Nolan, Angel, 7, Sparta; Maria Oliva, Snowflake, 8, Hopatcong; Hannah Orr, Angel, 8, Branchville; Ashely Papa, Russian dancer, 11, Sussex; Kimberely Piwko, Party Guest, 13, Sparta; Adriana Purcell, Snowflake, 7, Hamburg; Nicole Regelski, Mouse, 9, Sparta; Morgan Reynolds, Mouse, 9, Sparta; Cassie Raeloofs, Mouse, 9, Sussex; Olivia Row, Angel, 9, Sparta; Emily Row, Party Guest, 11, Sparta; Angelina Ryan, Part y Guest, 11, Sparta; Alison Salmeri, Russian dancer, 14, Sparta; Mikayla Schappert, French dancer, 10, Lafayette; Alysaa Schimpf, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Samantha Sepulveda, Snowflake, 8, Hopatcong; Shannon Scully, Party Guest, 11, Sparta; Malin Slade, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Lily Silverman, Mouse, 10, Lafayette; Samantha Silverman, Party Guest, 12, Lafayette; Samantha Simmons, Mouse, 10, Hamburg; Jada Smiwth, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Kristin Smith, Angel, 8, Sparta; Sylvia Sochaki, Snowflake, 7, Sparta; Brooke Staton, Party Guest, 11, Vernon; Brianna Struble, Angel, 10, Sparta; Lindsey Sumpman, Russian dancer, 10, Wantage; Ashley Terpak, Angel, 9, Sparta; Amanda Townsend, Snowflake, 8, Augusta; Olga Vrabel, Party Guest, 13, Sparta; Bailee Welch, Chinese dancer, 9, Newton; Shaina Wire, Party Guest, 12, Branchville; Khadijah Yasin, Chinese dancer, 9, Sussex.