Dec 11 — Dec 13
The Nutcracker
Choreographed by Tom Gold
COCA’s Ballet Eclectica performs an exciting adaptation of the beloved holiday classic choreographed by internationally recognized dancer and choreographer Tom Gold and set to the original score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The story of The Nutcracker is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann fantasy story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King. This thrilling version follows the lead characters on an enchanting journey through historical St. Louis landmarks, with characters inspired by famous staples of our city!
The Nutcracker features Ballet Eclectica’s pre-professional dancers, ages 11–18; emerging student dancers, ages 6–10; and adult student dancers. COCA dancers will be joined by three COCA alumni as the principal roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Cavalier, and Aunt Josephine Baker.
- DeKylah Epps, Aunt Josephine
- JaiLi Deck, Sugar Plum Fairy
- Ronan Ryan, Cavalier
Recommended for Ages 4+
Run Time: 90 minutes
Audio description is provided by MindsEye for the 3:00PM performance on December 12.
Dec 11 — Dec 13
The Nutcracker
Choreographed by Tom Gold
December 11 – December 13
Discipline
Dance“It was magical; My children were enamored, and I would argue this was the best of the Nutcrackers I have witnessed here in St. Louis.” – The Nutcracker Audience Member, 2024
About Tom Gold, Choreographer
A 21-year member (1987–2008) of New York City Ballet where he rose to the rank of soloist, Gold has also performed with THARP!, New York City Opera, Donald Byrd/The Group and many other companies throughout the United States. At City Ballet, he performed leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and William Forsythe. In 2002, Susan Stroman created the ballet “Double Feature” for Mr. Gold.
In demand internationally as a guest artist, choreographer, and instructor, Gold has created more than a dozen original works for Tom Gold Dance as well as for many other dance academies, companies, festivals, television, and special events, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Bravo series Odd Mom Out starring Jill Kargman, and the New York City Fringe Festival for which he won the 2016 award for Overall Excellence for his work in the Joey Variations: A Play With Dance.
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