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The Official School of Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre |
Click on the image to visit CDC |
Nutcracker |
LIZA MATA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR |
Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre's "Nutcracker" co-production with the Palace Theatre on December 7 and 8, involves the area's most dedicated and hardworking cast of children. These young members who come from the Georgetown, Horry, Columbus and Florence counties are featured as the Party scene kids, Mice, Solders, Flurries, the Angels, Bon Bons, Chinese Tea Sweets, Candy Canes and Rosebuds. For these children, participation in the production requires a lot of energy, a serious physical and emotional commitment and dedication to the work at hand. Commitment to be a cast member demands flexibility, patience, support and understanding from cast members themselves as well as their families. Then too, CYBT's Nutcracker cast members get the opportunity to work with experienced and dedicated teachers and guest artists. This year's cast members are fortunate to have the chance to perform with guest artists of one of South Florida's esteemed professional company, the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami. CYBT alumnus, Bailey Moon, who has distinguished himself as a gifted dance artist not just locally but nationally as well, will perform the role of the Nutcracker Prince. |
Children Dancing in Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre's "THE NUTCRACKER" |
Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre's Artistic Director, Liza Mata, giving some pointers to the adorable Angels.in the Party Scene, while other cast members watch. |
Every Saturday since September, cast members gather at the Coastal Dance Centre Studio in Murrells Inlet to rehearse for the only "The Nutcracker" in the Myrtle Beach area this year. |
The youngest cast members Anna Kathryn (5), Megan (5), Mason (5), Cameron (4) and Charlotte (4), patiently wait for their cue. |
What production of "The Nutcracker" would be complete without a cast of children? Whereas we may think that the integration of children into ballet is a relatively new idea, it was actually more common in previous centuries. The great companies of Europe and Russia regularly used young students in the corps de ballet and as "extras." They were regarded as cute and cheap and, furthermore, the pleasure of performing on stage gave them incentive to work at their lessons. Many became stars before they were adolescents. As an example, the famous Fanny Essler is depicted in a watercolor at the tender age of 12, as a professional posed en pointe. Ballerina Marie Salle made her debut in London at age 9, dancing with her brother in a Harlequin pas de deux. |
In and of themselves, CYBT's "Nutcracker" production is an invaluable learning experience for these young people and a chance for them to share their love of the art to the community through their performances. "The Nutcracker" goes on stage at the Palace Theatre December 7, 3 pm and 7 pm December 8 at 10 am. Tickets to CYBT's "The Nutcracker" - Box Office 843 448-0588 or Toll Free 800-905-4228 Groups of 15 or more 843-626-8927 or Toll Free 866 -247-6877 For more about Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre and the Palace Theatre, please visit their websites: www.coastalyouthballettheatre.org www.palacetheatremyrtlebeach.com |
2008 "Nutcracker" Guest Artist |
Most everyone at Coastal Dance Centre and Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre know Bailey Moon. That is because he is an alumnus of both the school (Coastal Dance Centre) and its performing company (Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre). Bailey is presently studying at one of the country's internationally recognized boarding schools, the Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts. Bailey hails from Georgetown, SC where his parents, Keith and Jane Moon, live. He started dancing when he was eight and began training with Ms. Liza Mata when he was nine years old up to the time he went to Walnut Hill School. On his last year as a full time student at Coastal Dance Centre, he was one two CDC students who received the "Most Outstanding Student Award", a recognition that is yet to be awarded to the next outstanding student at the school. Bailey was also one of the original company members of CYBT and has danced the lead roles in the company's production of "The Nutcracker," "La Vivandiere," "Mercy," to name a few. Bailey has joined dance competitions wherein he has successfully garnered the top awards, the most notable of which is his having won Third Place in the Junior Division of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Finals in New York City in 2007. The YAGP is the most prestigious international ballet and contemporary student competition with competitors coming from around the world aside from the United States. Bailey's joining the YAGP competitions has opened for him several wonderful scholarships to some of the best dance schools in the world aside from getting the recognition of being one of the world's best dancers – he has been given full scholarships to the Summer Intensives at Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton Florida in 2006, the National Ballet School of Canada in 2007, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, Washington in 2008. Other scholarship offers that were offered to him were from Washington School of Ballet in D.C., the Boston Ballet School, and the Royal Ballet School in London. At Walnut Hill, Bailey is on his second year of his term as a full scholarship year-round student. |
BAILEY MOON |
A native of Havana, Cuba, began his training at Alejo Carpienter Ballet School and continued at National Ballet School of Havana. He then joined Centro ProDanza in Havana, Cuba and danced several classical and neo-classical pieces. Since 2007, he became a member of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami and performed Giselle, Raymonda, Nutcracker and Majisimo. |
JESUS FARIAS |
Kate Kadow was born in Winter Park, Florida. She began her ballet training at the age of eight at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary and Leslie Hench. Kate continued her training with Javier and Isabel Dubrocq. She has attended summer programs at the School of American Ballet and Stiefel and Stars. In 2004 Kate was awarded the Gold Medal in the Junior Division at the National Youth Ballet Competition held at Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. Kate has trained with Magaly Suarez at the Art of Classical Ballet in Pompano Beach, Florida since 2006 and is a soloist with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami in 2007. |
KATE KADOW |
Jordan was born in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she studied at the Southwest Virginia Ballet. In 2002, she was named an American Ballet Theatre National Training Scholar. She then studied at North Carolina School of the Arts, during which time she danced with Suzanne Farrel Ballet, including performing Balanchine's "Don Quixote" at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. In 2006, she became a student of Magaly Suarez, and was chosen to dance "Myrtha, Queen of the Willis," in the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami's "Giselle," as well as the principal role in "Raymonda Divertissements," and the principal role in "Paquita" at the 2007 International Ballet Festival of Miami. Jordan-Elizabeth was a third round finalist in the 2007 Shanghai International Ballet Competition in China, for which she was taught and coached in "Carmen" by Alberto Alonso. |
JORDAN-ELIZABETH LONG |
Karen was born in the Philippines and migrated to the United States with her family at the age of sixteen. Her mother, Liza Mata, who owned and was director of two dance schools in the Philippines and is now Coastal Dance Centre and Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre Artistic Director, was her primary ballet teacher. Prior to her move to the United States, she has had the opportunity to perform with one of the Philippines' professional ballet companies, the Philippine Ballet Theatre. She also had the opportunity to attend further dance training in Hong Kong and in Melbourne, Australia in 2001 and 2002. Karen has done all the Royal Academy of Dance Grades examinations garnering "Distinction" and "Honours" marks as well as a Distinction mark for her Australian Ballet Syllabus Examination. She has been a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix International Student Ballet and Contemporary Competitions from 2003-2005 in New York City. She has attended summer intensives at the Washington Ballet School in Washington D.C., Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Carolina Ballet Theatre in Greenville, South Carolina, and The Art of Classical Ballet in Pompano Beach, Florida. Karen has trained with Magaly Suarez and Ibis Montoto at The Art of Classical Ballet since 2005 and is presently a member of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami in Florida. |
ANNA KARENINA MATA |
Carlos Manuel Mijares was born in Vedado, Cuba, and began his ballet training at Alejo Carpienter Elementary Ballet School. In 2003, he continued his training at Escuela Nacional de Arte. He joined Centro ProDanza in Havana, Cuba in 2003. His professional repertoire includes performances in classical and neo-classical ballets such as "Swan Lake," "Nutcracker," "Don Quixote," "Le Corsaire" and "Majissimo." In the United States, he danced with The South Florida Ballet Theater and is presently dancing with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami. |
CARLOS MANUEL MIJARES |
Born in Divinopolis, Brazil, Gleidson started his ballet studies with Liudmila Polonskaya and later was awarded a full scholarship at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. In 2005, Gleidson won the Silver Medal in the Senior Division of the Youth America Grand Prix Competition in New York City. He was also a finalist in the VIII New York International Ballet Competition. That same year, he became a member of the corps de ballet of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada. In 2006, after attending the Jackson International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, he decided to return to Florida to work with The Art of Classical Ballet Artistic Director, Magaly Suarez. In 2007, Gleidson became a member of the New Jersey Ballet and presently, he is a principal soloist with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami. |
GLEIDSON VASCONCELOS |