Ballet Theatre Launches into it 3rd Season with A Holiday of Dance & a Nutcracker Suite

With a strong curriculum in place and new artistic directors Jane Hachiya-Weiner and Frank Weiner at the helm, Ballet Theatre of Carmel is going solo this year as they present Holiday of Dance & The Nutcracker Suite on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Westfield High School.

Just two years ago, however, their hopes of performing a traditional ballet without outside help seemed unlikely. After only nine young dancers appeared in the level 5 and above audition for the holiday show in 2009, the newly formed BTC called on their studio partners, Performer’s Edge Dance Theatre of Carmel, for help. With studio owner Ron Morgan’s assistance, they were able to perform in a joint production, directed by PEDT director Trish Roberds and formerBTC director Nataly Lowder. In addition, professional dancers from the Cincinnati Ballet were hired to dance the lead Nutcracker roles.

This year marks a turning point for both the studio and the performers. A strong corps of 53 dancers will prove that countless hours at the barre and much determination have paid off. “We actually had a difficult time choosing our own Sugar Plum Fairy from among the many beautifully talented and versatile dancers in our student company,” admitted Hachiya-Weiner.

Sara Satterly, a junior from North Central High School, was chosen for the Sugar Plum role. Guest instructor and former Butler grad, Stirling Matheson, will dance the role of the Nutcracker Prince.

Stirling and his wife Sabrina Matheson have joined BTC as faculty members this year. After graduation from the Majors Program at Butler University, this young couple spent some time as performing artists in Nashville, Tennessee, and also in Baltimore, Maryland, before returning to Sabrina’s home state of Indiana. Sabrina will serve as Ballet Mistress for this year’s production.

“I am fortunate to be at BTC just as the seeds that were planted two years ago by founding director Nataly Lowder seem to be bearing fruit. As Ballet Mistress, I enjoy helping the dancers bring out their individual styles even as they dance as a cohesive ensemble.”

“I believe the implementation of the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum has also helped our student company turn out some very strong dancers,” added Hachiya-Weiner.

BTC is currently the only ballet school in the state of Indiana which has an American Ballet Theatre ® Affiliate teacher. Hachiya-Weiner and Advisor Nataly Lowder are two of the 35 ABT® Affiliate Teachers nationwide. An ABT® Affiliate Teacher is a level of distinction for ABT® National Training Curriculum Certified Teachers that successfully present their students for examinations.

Bibi Weprich is P.R./Marketing coordinator for Ballet Theatre of Carmel at Performer’s Edge.