By Avanti Chajed
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006, The OG, features & arts

WITH STUDENT PRODUCTIONS and a boys basketball game going on Friday evening, you might have missed Champaign Urbana Ballet's opening performance of the “The Nutcracker” at the Krannert Center's Tryon Festival Theatre.

Six Uni students are among the performers in this year's production, which features live music by Sinfonia da Camera: junior Anna Cangellaris, sophomore Karolina Kalbarczyk, freshmen Tuli Bera and Sophie Shenk, and subbies Simone Ballard and Claire Liu.

Don't worry if you were too busy to get over to Krannert. Five more performances remain, including three next weekend:

— 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2
— 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3
— 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9
— 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9
— 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10

“It's a lot of fun, and you'll enjoy it a lot if you come see it,” said Kalbarczyk. “It's something you can enjoy all alone or with your entire family.”

Tickets cost $29 for general admission, $23 for students, and $16 for children 12 and under. They can be bought online or at Krannert Center's ticket office.

This is the fourth year that CU Ballet has teamed up with Sinfonia da Camera to perform the 1892 Tchaikovsky classic, which is based on E.T.A. Hoffman's 1816 story, “Nutcracker and Mouse King.”

Another look at Uni's "Nutcracker" ballet dancers. Gargoyle photo by Avanti Chajed (click to enlarge)