Mia Saunders Ballet presents holiday classic: The Nutcracker

Clifton, VA (November 9, 2021) – The Mia Saunders School of Ballet (MSB) returns to the CVHS stage to celebrate the twenty-nineth anniversary of its winter tradition of performing as a gift for others with a production of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker on December 4 and 5, 2021 at 4:00 pm in the Centreville High School Auditorium located at 6001 Union Mill Road in Clifton. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the scholarship fund of the Centreville High School Drama Boosters and VCU Massey Cancer Center.

This 2021 MSB Nutcracker Season marks the return of the beloved community event to the CVHS auditorium in front of a live audience. Says Artistic Director Hannah Gestwick, “There is no combination of words to describe the feeling of walking back in the theater after all this time, everything just as we left it but at the same time completely different. MSB is proud to continue our winter tradition of dancing as a gift for others this year with two live performances of The Nutcracker.”

Keeping the MSB community dancing during a pandemic wasn’t easy but Gestwick and her dancers persevered. Says Gestwick, “As felt by artists around the world, the past two years without live performances has challenged and encouraged us to embrace our love for dance in new ways. From Zoom classes in our basements to filmed performances and dancing in tape squares, the MSB community has pushed through the pandemic, continuing on our path, and always looking ahead to the day we can return to the stage.”

The dancers share the excitement of returning to the stage. Says Irene Kaczmarek, a senior at Centreville High School dancing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy "I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to dance the role of Sugar Plum Fairy this year, as it has been a dream of mine since I was a little angel watching my older sister dance the same role. The 2021 Nutcracker will be even more memorable because it is the first time, we will be performing live on stage in nearly two years. I cannot wait to get back to the chaos and excitement of performing live for an audience, and I could not think of a better way to spend my final Nutcracker as an MSB dancer”.

Miranda Smith 7th-grade student at Liberty Middle School, dancing the role of the Prince in the Saturday show, agrees. “Dancing with my MSB friends every year in The Nutcracker is my favorite holiday tradition. I missed being able to look out into the audience and see my family and friends cheering me on last year but now being back on stage live makes me feel like all the hard work we put in during the last 18 months was worth it. I’m so glad to be back!”

Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday, December 4-5, 4:00 pm performances at the CVHS auditorium are $10 for children under 5 and $12 for ages 6 and up and are available for purchase at the door day of show from 3:00 -4:00 pm, payable by cash or check only. Tickets are also available at miasaundersballet.com. Please note: For the protection of our students, volunteers, and all audience members and per FCPS Community Use guidance, MSB will require all audience members to wear a mask while in the CVHS building.

About Hannah Gestwick and the Mia Saunders School of Ballet:

Hannah Gestwick: An MSB alum, Hannah Gestwick began training at the age of 3 before joining the Mia Saunders School of Ballet in 2002.

While dancing at MSB, Hannah trained with the Kirov Academy of Ballet in DC and performed at the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center with the Maryland Youth Ballet. Hannah was captain of the Centreville High School Dance Team and attended the Virginia Governor's School for Visual and Performing Arts summer program. In 2017, Hannah graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Systems and Information Engineering. As part of her Dance minor, Hannah developed her expertise with classes in ballet, modern, jazz, improvisation, composition, dance history, and dance production. She choreographed and performed in annual collegiate dance concerts in faculty, guest artist, and student pieces, including performing at the American College Dance Association regional conference.

Hannah taught high school and adult ballet classes in Charlottesville, VA, before coming home to MSB in June 2019.

Mia Saunders established the Mia Saunders School of Ballet in the Centreville-Clifton area in 1987, teaching in the Little Rocky Run community. Ms. Saunders is a second-generation dancer who received her early training at her mother’s Margery Carroll School of Ballet in New Jersey. Saunders went on to receive her professional training in New York City at the American Ballet Theatre School under the direction of Madame Maria Swoboda, Leon Danielian, Jurgen Schneider, and Patricia Wilde.