Once again Fremont Opera and Yoko’s Academy of Dance & Performing Arts are joining forces to present Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Ballet.” Since 2005, this annual Nutcracker has been a much-loved and anticipated community event in Fremont. Presented at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts at Ohlone College on Dec. 7 and 8, this lavishly staged and costumed production features a cast of 100 children of all ages, from the youngest beginners to the most advanced and talented young adults.
Dancers from Yoko’s Academy win prizes in national competitions year after year, and have performed in Japan, at the Super Bowl, and in London at the Olympics. A number of celebrities from the Fremont area, including Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, Mayor Elect Raj Salwan, City Council members Kathy Kimberlin and Yang Shao, and Councilmember Elect Yajing Zhang, will make cameo appearances in the Nutcracker as party guests. Former California State Senator Bob Wieckowski returns in his signature role as the mysterious magician Drosselmeier.
At all performances, a full symphony orchestra will provide live music. David Sloss, music director of the Fremont Symphony from 1980 to 2012 and artistic director of Fremont Opera, will conduct the Fremont Opera Orchestra.
Appearing as the Grand Cavalier for the third time will be guest artist Zherlin Ndudi. Ndudi has been a principal dancer with Phoenix Ballet and Ballet Arizona, and a soloist with Miami City Ballet. His professional ballet career has brought him to prestigious stages around the world, including in Poland, Japan, Norway, Germany, China, Switzerland, Latvia, Russia and the United States.
Yoko Young, who created this Nutcracker production in 2005, was a nationally recognized choreographer and teacher. As a prima ballerina, she danced with the Tokyo Ballet Theatre and the Opéra National de Paris in France. She appeared as a dancer and actress in numerous films and television series in Japan and the United States. In 1993, she was appointed by the Governor of Saitama Prefecture, Japan, to be Cultural Ambassador to the World, representing 92 cities and over 6.5 million people. In 1995, she established her own studio, Yoko’s Dance & Performing Arts Academy. Since then, her choreography has won numerous awards, and her students have won acclaim dancing in the United States, Japan and England.
Fremont Opera was founded in 2007 by Artistic Director David Sloss and General Manager Barbara Sloss, establishing for the first time a professional, regional opera company based in Fremont, presenting outstanding young artists from the Bay Area and the nation. Its productions of La Bohème, The Barber of Seville, and La Traviata have drawn rave reviews from critics and patrons alike. Performances have featured 90 singers of all ages and 60 musicians from all over the Bay Area.
Yoko’s Nutcracker Ballet
Saturday, Dec 7: 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec 8: 2 p.m.
The Smith Center at Ohlone College
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 659-6031
Tickets: $30 – $45
