Two classical ballet stars, (l) Deanna Stanton and (r) Alayna Wong, will share the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Hot Springs Children’s Dance Theatre Company’s eleventh annual presentation of The Nutcracker.
This holiday season the Hot Springs communities will have the opportunity of a rare treat. Two classical ballet stars will share the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Hot Springs Children’s Dance Theatre Company’s (HSCDTC) eleventh annual presentation of The Nutcracker. Deanna Karlheim Stanton will perform at LakePointe Church on November 24 and 25, and Alayna Wong will dance in the Woodlands Auditorium, in Hot Springs Village on December 1.
Stanton has performed the leading role in the production many times since 2015. Wong is a more recent addition to the HSCDTC list of guest artists. Both artists are accomplished performers and bring their own grace and skills to the role. At 5’11’ Karlheim offers a stately interpretation and strength to the role while Wong’s interpretation is spritely and impish. Both versions are a joy to experience and the ballet enthusiast will appreciate seeing them firsthand on the consecutive weekends.
Deanna Stanton is currently in her eleventh season with Ballet Arkansas where she has danced in several principal roles. She credits her early training to her time spent at the Baltimore School for the Arts. She graduated with a BFA in Ballet from the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music. During this time, she was also a Trainee with Ballet West for two seasons.
Alayna Wong is from Southern California. In high school, she trained under Stephanie Saland and Le Yin and spent summers with American Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Ballet Austin. Wong danced with Oklahoma City Ballet for their 2018-2019 season and performed in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland) and Robert Mills’ The Nutcracker.
Tickets to The Nutcracker are $35 for preferred adult seating and $20 for preferred student seating (the first 4 rows of the theatre). General seating tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students, and $5 for children under 5 years of age. Tickets can be purchased at www.hscdtc.org.
