Performance of Nutcracker slated at Maple Avenue Middle School
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> The Lewis A. Swyer School of the Arts at the National Museum of Dance will present its first full production of the ballet classic The Nutcracker, featuring 80 talented dancers ages 6-18, with special guests alumnus Sam Epstein, William Otto, Damon Honeycutt, and Leanne Sweet performing.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. at Maple Avenue Middle School’s Trombley Auditorium.
Epstein grew up in Saratoga Springs, and trained at the School of the Arts at the National Museum of Dance, the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Ballet, Ballet Academy East, Boston Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, and Chautauqua Institution.
He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an outside field in choreography at Indiana University Bloomington Recently, he has performed feature roles in works by George Balanchine, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Christian Claessens, Mark Diamond, Sasha Janes, Mark Morris, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Twarp, Michale Vernon, Christopher Wheeldon, and Sarah Wroth.
Honeycutt is a transdisciplinary artist whose work involves the cohesion and evolutionary preservation of tradition. He has been accepted to SUNY Stonybrook in their Ph.D. Music composition program.
He also holds an MFA in Music Composition at The Vermont College of Fine Arts. MA in Conscious Evolution and Integral Studies from The Graduate Institute and a BFA from California Institute of the Arts where he studied full time in both the music and dance departments.
Honeycutt has worked with The Power String Quartet, Pilobolus, The Urban Roots Project, Beijing Opera Company Yuan, Deborah Goffe and Scapegoat Garden Dance Company, among many others.
Otto is a dancer, choreographer, and actor. A native of Westchester County, New York, William trained at the School of American Ballet and is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. He danced with New York City Ballet for twelve years before his retirement in 1995. He subsequently performed in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and with its national touring company, and has various film and television credits.
Since moving to the Capital District in 2002, Otto has taught ballet at the Albany Dance Institute and Saratoga City Ballet, and has performed character roles with numerous regional ballet companies. He most recently served as development director at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls. William joined the School of the Arts faculty in 2017.
Sweet has been teaching ballet in the region since 1976 including ten years at the New School of Ballet in Schenectady, fifteen years at Ballet Regent in Saratoga Springs under the director of Michael Steele and Tomi Vukovic, and four years at Saratoga City Ballet.
She received her early dance training in Schenectady and was accepted at both the School of American Ballet and The Juilliard School. She studied with Felia Dubrovska of the School of American Ballet and with Robert Joffrey. Leanne majored in Dance at Adelphi College. She performed with Schenectady Civic Ballet and Tri City Ballet Guild. Leanne joined the School of the Arts faculty in 2010.
All ticket proceeds directly support the Lewis A. Swyer School of the Arts, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Tickets for sale at eventbrite.com.