FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Stephanie Rangel, Founding Director
786-209-4343
stephanie@magiccitynutracker.org
COMMUNITY NUTCRACKER TO STREAM DECEMBER 4
Over 80 Local Dancers Ensure the Show Goes On
BIRMINGHAM, AL—November 24, 2020 –the Magic City Nutcracker (MCN) will stream its digital production via Facebook beginning December 4, 2020 at 7 p.m. In response to Covid-19, the stage ballet was filmed in iconic locations around Birmingham for its seventh annual production. You can view the trailer at www.facebook.com/TheMagicCityNutcracker.
The 2020 production, which is presented by My A.R.T.S Kids, will be streamed free as a tribute to our city and as a lasting memory for the community and our cast and families. It will also be available for purchase in DVD format. Sponsors who ensured the virtual show could be available at no charge include America’s First Federal Credit Union; Drummond Company, Inc.; Engineering Design Group; High Air Power LLC; Angela Karen Photography; Boardman, Carr, Petelos, Watkins & Ogle; Civil Consultants, Inc.; Dermatology & Skin Care Center; Liberty Park Children’s Dentistry; Vestavia Eye Care; and Warren Averett.
Eighty-eight dancers from 18 dance studios rehearsed via Zoom, and filmed in small, socially-distanced scenes to ensure our community-based production not only continues, but remains a quality production that boasts a local cast. The cast is comprised of dancers as young as 5, college students and professionals from the entire Birmingham metro area, Gadsden, Anniston and beyond, making the MCN the only true community Nutcracker in central Alabama.
Additionally, principal guest artists Laura Valentin and Luis Victor Santana, will join the show as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.
Fifty volunteers donated over 1500 hours of time to pull together this unique production. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends could be seen around the Birmingham Botanical Gardens laying marley flooring to ensure the dancers had a pointe-worthy surface. Others manned the costume tent checking temperatures, dressing dancers, arranging hair pieces and perfecting makeup under masks. The show also includes 105 custom-made costumes—bringing the magic of the land of the sweets and our Victorian-era German Party scene to life.
For more information and to view the livestream on December 4, please visit www.facebook.com/TheMagicCityNutcracker, www.magiccitynutcracker.org, or contact the Marketing Chair, Hilary Perry at hilarywperry@gmail.com (205) 706-5812.
Direct link to trailer: https://youtu.be/ccMI7RZajug
About My A.R.T.S. Kids My Arts Kids is a non-profit established in 2006 by one of the Magic City Nutcracker’s guest artists, Meghan Muncher Schlanger. Schlanger is a Jasper native who trained at the Alabama School of Fine
Arts. This partnership allows MCN the opportunity to continue its mission of creating a high-quality, professional level community ballet for dancers of all skill levels and backgrounds while bringing this ballet to life for a broader audience.
About The Magic City Nutcracker
The Magic City Nutcracker was established in 2012 by Kelly Avery, Stephanie Rangel, Angel White and Leslie DuPont, who had a passion for dance, philanthropy, and local arts organizations. Their vision was to create a new version of the traditional nutcracker ballet performed by local talent. The directors hope to inspire the next generation of artists to pursue their passions and encourage young dancers to support other local arts organizations.
Mission
The Magic City Nutcracker is committed to supporting and maintaining the highest quality of artistic vision as a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization using only local community talent and providing a beautiful holiday tradition for the city of Birmingham.