"Training and Inspiring Dancers and Teachers of Tomorrow" |
| * THANK YOU * For a second year, Rachel's Ballet was proud to present two full-length Nutcracker ballet performances FREE to the public in December 2011. Once again our complimentary tickets were sold out for both performances. Producing and presenting "The Nutcracker" ballet for the very first time in 2010 was a dream come true for Rachel Tan, Director of Rachel's Ballet. The ballet was so well-received by the community with full audiences on both nights in 2010. Thank you to all our dancers; performers (including Howard Burnham, Evan Johnston-2011, Chad Dawson-2010); Coreen Danaher (Master Choreographer); choregraphers/instructors (Sandra Burnham, Maria LaMance, Isabelle Sjahsam, Leigh Ann Koelsch, Jeanie Pors, Bambi Fleeman, Vivian Aragon); Carolyn Littlejohn; Debbie Yu; Marilyn Black; parents; volunteers; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Temple Hill Cultural Arts Committee; Temple Hill Cultural Arts Technical Staff & House Managers; Esteban Zapiain and the Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra; Lissa Werson (THCA); Temple Hill ushers/parking/security personnel; Stephen Wathen; and Seiler LLP for making these community outreach performances possible. Read more about Rachel Tan and her "Nutcracker" ballet gift to the community:
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Copyright 2011-2012 Rachel's Ballet - Fremont, CA & Dublin, CA - Phone (510) 656-0920 - www.rachelsballet.com |
Thank you for sending your comments about
our free performances of the 2010 Nutcracker!
From Jen:
"Words can't express how wonderful it was tonight. … how blown away
we all were. It was breathtaking."
From Linnea:
"Beautiful Performance! I want to thank you for the countless hours of
effort that you put into the production of The Nutcracker. The sets and
costumes were beautiful. The choreography was elegant and graceful.
The orchestral music was such a wonderful feature! I know that many
audience members were so amazed with the experience because they
could not imagine a 'free' performance being of such quality."
From Alan:
"The Nutcracker is Spectacular! It was obvious you set a high standard of
excellence. Your production team delivered that. Creative choreography,
spectacular drops and scenery, fabulous costumes, and a talented
group of dancers combined with Tchaikovsky's lyrical music played by
the Temple Hill Symphony. The Nutcracker Ballet was a delightful
evening of Christmas enchantment last night, despite the non-stop rain
everyone drove through to see it. Steve Zapiain conducted the orchestra.
Rachel Tan and her talented directors prepared the dozens of dancers
well. Most of the dancers range from age 6 to 18 and are a delight to
watch. This is definitely a Nutcracker Ballet worth seeing."
From the Hansens:
"Our family wants to thank you for helping create such a wonderful
Christmas season for us this year. We had been looking forward to
seeing the Nutcracker for months and got even more excited as
advertisements started appearing. The rain couldn't make a dent in
dampening the spirits of all the people lined up outside to witness this
amazing show. There was an excitement in the air as people were
finding their seats. Happy families everywhere were able to gather
together to share in this experience. The gasps that we heard as each
backdrop changed were no surprise. The scenery was spectacular. The
costumes were even more breathtaking. The beautiful dancers were the
best part of the show. Thank you for sharing your talent and hard work
with us this season. It was a highlight for us and a tradition that we hope
we will be able to repeat. There wasn't one thing that we would suggest
to change. When the curtains closed after the final scene we were
awestruck, as was everyone around it. People starting instantly talking
about how amazing the entire performance was. Thank you!!"
From John:
"Your Nutcracker production was incredible! Thank you so much for
such a wonderful evening last night! I was so impressed with every
detail....the dancing, set design, costumes, music....everything. It was so
nice to see every seat filled in the ISC and to see everyone enjoying
themselves so much. The woman sitting on the other side of me was
crying and wiping away tears at the end of the first act. I asked her what
in particular made her cry and she said, 'Everything...everything is so
beautiful!' Congratulations on a job well done."
From Marion:
"Symphony & Ballet, Our family is deeply grateful for your performance of
Nutcracker, as your special gift for this Christmas. Your offering of love
with music and dancing was inspiring, and gratefully received. As
important additions to the performance, the costume and staging were
amazing. I wish I had photographs to help recall the mental images of
the settings and the portrayals I have thought of many times since your
performance Friday evening. The magnificent lead lady ballet dancer
was most inspiring. The young male ballet dancer was amazing. Every
dancer's contribution is appreciated."
From Dolly:
"We as a family were able to attend your Nutcracker performance last
night at the Oakland Temple, There was a huge traffic accident to and
from San Jose where we lived. It took us 2 1/2 hours each way to go see
your performance and coming home. We were 45 minutes late arriving
and still got a chance to see your beautiful production. I wanted to tell
you how touched and appreciative for your notes in the back of the
program. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and your gracious
gift of the Nutcracker. It was my first time seeing it and I loved it so
much. Please express our gratitude and respects to you and all your
cast and crew."
From Joyce:
"What a wonderful event. I could use lots of other words to describe, but
thank you. It was so well done. Really in awe of the many sets and
scenery. Towards the end I thought about your dancers. For some it
may have been the biggest audience they will perform before. What a
choice experience for all of them. I think any of the dancers could go on
to greater things." [Editor's Note: The ISC Auditorium has 1600 seats &
both shows were full.]
From Sami:
"We went to the Friday night showing and thought it was phenomenal.
We really appreciated this opportunity to be a part of such a great thing.
My kids LOVED it and I was excited to see it again after 25 years."
From Xiaofeng:
"What an amazing performance! I only wish all my friends were able to
watch the show ... Please do it again next year!"
From Dian:
"What a fabulous performance! You exceeded my expectations."
our free performances of the 2010 Nutcracker!
From Jen:
"Words can't express how wonderful it was tonight. … how blown away
we all were. It was breathtaking."
From Linnea:
"Beautiful Performance! I want to thank you for the countless hours of
effort that you put into the production of The Nutcracker. The sets and
costumes were beautiful. The choreography was elegant and graceful.
The orchestral music was such a wonderful feature! I know that many
audience members were so amazed with the experience because they
could not imagine a 'free' performance being of such quality."
From Alan:
"The Nutcracker is Spectacular! It was obvious you set a high standard of
excellence. Your production team delivered that. Creative choreography,
spectacular drops and scenery, fabulous costumes, and a talented
group of dancers combined with Tchaikovsky's lyrical music played by
the Temple Hill Symphony. The Nutcracker Ballet was a delightful
evening of Christmas enchantment last night, despite the non-stop rain
everyone drove through to see it. Steve Zapiain conducted the orchestra.
Rachel Tan and her talented directors prepared the dozens of dancers
well. Most of the dancers range from age 6 to 18 and are a delight to
watch. This is definitely a Nutcracker Ballet worth seeing."
From the Hansens:
"Our family wants to thank you for helping create such a wonderful
Christmas season for us this year. We had been looking forward to
seeing the Nutcracker for months and got even more excited as
advertisements started appearing. The rain couldn't make a dent in
dampening the spirits of all the people lined up outside to witness this
amazing show. There was an excitement in the air as people were
finding their seats. Happy families everywhere were able to gather
together to share in this experience. The gasps that we heard as each
backdrop changed were no surprise. The scenery was spectacular. The
costumes were even more breathtaking. The beautiful dancers were the
best part of the show. Thank you for sharing your talent and hard work
with us this season. It was a highlight for us and a tradition that we hope
we will be able to repeat. There wasn't one thing that we would suggest
to change. When the curtains closed after the final scene we were
awestruck, as was everyone around it. People starting instantly talking
about how amazing the entire performance was. Thank you!!"
From John:
"Your Nutcracker production was incredible! Thank you so much for
such a wonderful evening last night! I was so impressed with every
detail....the dancing, set design, costumes, music....everything. It was so
nice to see every seat filled in the ISC and to see everyone enjoying
themselves so much. The woman sitting on the other side of me was
crying and wiping away tears at the end of the first act. I asked her what
in particular made her cry and she said, 'Everything...everything is so
beautiful!' Congratulations on a job well done."
From Marion:
"Symphony & Ballet, Our family is deeply grateful for your performance of
Nutcracker, as your special gift for this Christmas. Your offering of love
with music and dancing was inspiring, and gratefully received. As
important additions to the performance, the costume and staging were
amazing. I wish I had photographs to help recall the mental images of
the settings and the portrayals I have thought of many times since your
performance Friday evening. The magnificent lead lady ballet dancer
was most inspiring. The young male ballet dancer was amazing. Every
dancer's contribution is appreciated."
From Dolly:
"We as a family were able to attend your Nutcracker performance last
night at the Oakland Temple, There was a huge traffic accident to and
from San Jose where we lived. It took us 2 1/2 hours each way to go see
your performance and coming home. We were 45 minutes late arriving
and still got a chance to see your beautiful production. I wanted to tell
you how touched and appreciative for your notes in the back of the
program. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and your gracious
gift of the Nutcracker. It was my first time seeing it and I loved it so
much. Please express our gratitude and respects to you and all your
cast and crew."
From Joyce:
"What a wonderful event. I could use lots of other words to describe, but
thank you. It was so well done. Really in awe of the many sets and
scenery. Towards the end I thought about your dancers. For some it
may have been the biggest audience they will perform before. What a
choice experience for all of them. I think any of the dancers could go on
to greater things." [Editor's Note: The ISC Auditorium has 1600 seats &
both shows were full.]
From Sami:
"We went to the Friday night showing and thought it was phenomenal.
We really appreciated this opportunity to be a part of such a great thing.
My kids LOVED it and I was excited to see it again after 25 years."
From Xiaofeng:
"What an amazing performance! I only wish all my friends were able to
watch the show ... Please do it again next year!"
From Dian:
"What a fabulous performance! You exceeded my expectations."
"spectacular" * "amazing" * "breathtaking" * "incredible"
| featuring Rachel's Ballet and the Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra Presented by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Rachel's Ballet As part of Rachel's Ballet commitment to community outreach, two full-length Nutcracker ballet performances were presented FREE to the public on December 16, 2011, Friday & December 17, 2011, Saturday at the Interstake Center Auditorium (ISC), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4780 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602, (On Oakland's Temple Hill - Seating Capacity: 1600) |
