THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412010204
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REGINALD WORLDS
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
A LOCAL DANCE SCHOOL will perform a holiday classic in Elizabeth City this weekend for the first time in years.
Katrina's School of Dance and College of The Albemarle will present ``The Nutcracker'' Saturday at 8 p.m. in COA's auditorium. The story has not been performed in Elizabeth City in almost 20 years.
The idea to bring the classic back to the River City came from the school owner and the show's choreographer Katrina Shinn, who says she has wanted to do the play for a while but the situation never presented itself.
``When I was younger, I saw the show and liked it. And since I've been teaching, I wanted to do it but was just unable to get things together,'' Shinn said. ``But this year we were able to do the performance, and the kids were really excited about it.''
With the help of people like theater business manager Betsy Jones, Shinn finalized plans for the show earlier this year. After confirming the performance, rehearsal began this summer for the cast, which highlights some local high school students.
Whitney Twiford, a junior at Northeastern High School, plays the lead role of Clara in the story. Another major role is played by Northeastern freshman John McCain.
The addition of male performers such as McCain has been a plus, said Shinn, adding that she tried to work around their strengths and weaknesses.
``I tried to make them as comfortable as possible by not putting them in tights and not pushing a lot of dances on them,'' said Shinn. ``Most of them have a few lifts and a couple of dances.''
The story for the show comes from ``The Nutcracker Suite,'' a German musical written around the 1700s. Shinn says she made some alterations to the show that people should like.
``We based our version on performances by the Royal Ballet in London,'' Shinn said. ``My husband built two snow machines for the show, and I added a little twist in the ending.''
With permanent sets purchased from Old Dominion University, ``The Nutcracker'' could become an annual event in Elizabeth City.
The show will have two performances. The first will be Friday for area students; the second is for the general public on Saturday. A third show may be held the following Monday.
Tickets are $8, $9 and $10 depending on seating and must be reserved. For more information, call (919) 331-1023 or 335-0821. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Katrina Shinn of Elizabeth City is directing and choreographing
``The Nutcracker'' performance at College of the Albemarle this
weekend.
by CNB