Dancers from Ballet West in Taynuilt in the West Highlands are to perform The Nutcracker at ten venues around Scotland between 25 January and 1 March. The 60-strong company will be led by Principal Dancers, Jonathan Barton, as the Prince and Sara-Maria Smith, as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Both Jonathan and Sara-Maria are winners of Genée International Ballet Competition medals and have danced with leading dance companies across UK and abroad, including the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet.

Sara-Maria is currently dancing in The Nutcracker as a guest artist with Tupelo Ballet in Mississippi, USA, partnering Michael Bearden from Ballet West, Utah. Michael appeared as a guest artist with Ballet West, Taynuilt, in the 2012 Scottish tour of Swan Lake.

Jonathan and Sara-Maria will be joined by guest artists and students from Ballet West’s professional dance training school, including 15-year-old Isabella Swietlicki, winner of the Molly Lake award for the Best young British Dancer, who will dance The Snow Queen.

Isabella is one of two Ballet West students taking part in the Genée International Ballet Competition in New Zealand later this month. Also taking part in the competition is 19-year-old Charlotte Eades, who will be the lead in the Candy Cane dance in The Nutcracker tour.

The original choreography is by Alexander Bennett, adapted by Daniel Job, Ballet West’s Artistic Adviser.

The Scottish tour of The Nutcracker begins on 25 January in nearby Oban, and travels to Stirling, Dunfermline, St Andrews, Cumbernauld, Giffnock, Greenock, Musselburgh, Pitlochry, finishing in Livingston on 1 March.

Source: Ballet West