Under the newly appointed Co-Artistic Directorship of Jean Michelle Sayeg and Eric Shah, the Pasadena Dance Theatre (PDT) announces four performances of the classic ballet The Nutcracker at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse December 20 – 22, 2024. PDT’s The Nutcracker is one of Southern California’s longest running productions. Included this year are Guest Artists Matisse Love and Aaron Smyth, The High Notes of the Pasadena Chorale, the U.S. National Men’s Four Acrobatic Gymnastic Team, two Traditional Chinese Dragons, and dance students from the PDT Conservatory. Tickets are on sale now.
Pasadena Dance Theatre’s Co-Artistic Directors Eric Shah and Jean Michelle Sayeg – Photo courtesy of the artists.
Sayeg and Shah took over as Co-Artistic Directors this past June after a rigorous search by the PDT’s Board of Directors and The Nutcracker will be their first production. Both artists have danced professionally for many years and each are experienced choreographers.
“We are confident that Jean and Eric will honor and build upon the more than 65-year legacy and foundation of Pasadena Dance Theatre as well as bring in new ideas and creative pursuits for the future,” said Nancy Schmieder, Vice President of the Pasadena Dance theatre Board of Directors. “We are looking forward to seeing what they do with that synergy of past and future, together with their collaborative working relationship, here at PDT.”
These two dance artists first met while performing together at LA Opera. Since then, they have worked together periodically on different projects such as performing a contemporary ballet pas de deux for a The Floor Show in Hollywood that represented all genres of dance and live music. Shah has a daughter who also studied ballet with Sayeg and they performed Clara’s parents in productions of The Nutcracker. Now Jean Michelle Sayeg has added her choreography to this year’s production.
During our interview, I asked what new ideas they are bringing to this annual production of The Nutcracker.
Pasadena Dance Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” – Photo by Kirk Jackson.
“We wanted to engage the community in Pasadena and the surrounding areas and to collaborate and incorporate some of the Arts organizations in the area,” Sayeg said. “So, we are having the High Notes of the Pasadena Chorale come sing live for the Snow Scene.” People at PDT have had a connection with their Artistic Director and Founder Jeffrey Bernstein, so Sayeg and Shah are bringing the Pasadena Chorale into the new family at PDT.
Shah explained that the High Notes are the younger children. “We’re hoping to have them sing outside before the performance to welcome the audience into the theater. This is, however, not definite,” he explained.
“They are really excited as they have never been part of a ballet so they will be able to see the movement while they’re singing and see how everyone can illustrate the music differently,” Sayeg continued.
This is the Chinese year of the dragon, so Sayeg and Shah included two traditional dragons in this production.” There will be two dragons, three soloists and fourteen dancers onstage as a kind of spectacular,” Sayeg said.
Master teacher and coach Kin Lam met with the dancers on several occasions for many hours each time to assure that the dancers were doing the technique absolutely correctly and to honor the culture while bringing his tradition into a ballet.
Pasadena Dance Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” – Photo by Kirk Jackson.
PDT’s new addition called The Expresso Variation, formerly known as the Arabian, will be choreographed by guest choreographer and Ballet Master at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Arturo Fernandez. He worked with a few of PDT’s core members. “It’s a contemporary pas de deux and it’s so beautiful,” Sayeg said. “It is such an honor to work with these dancers to bring such professionalism from real company life. They got a taste of what that is like for some of the dancers who are looking to do that in their future.”
Also, PDT is bringing into The Nutcracker members of the U.S. National Men’s Four Acrobatic Gymnastic Team for The Cinnamon Variation, formerly called The Russian Variation. “These are three young boys who are National Champions and World Champions, have been a part of Cirque de Soleil, and who have done such incredible things already at such young ages,” Sayeg said.
The mother of these three boys danced professionally with Sayeg and Shah. “So, we are just bringing back the PDT family and the next generation,” Sayeg explained. “Bringing in new forms of movement and energy to that dance.”
Adding to this sense of family, Production Supervisor and Lighting Designer Jared Sayeg is brother to Jean Michelle Sayeg. Jared began helping backstage with PDT at age 11 and is currently working as a Lighting Designer both nationally and internationally.
Pasadena Dance Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” – Photo by Kirk Jackson.
The title roles of The Nutcracker are the Sugar Plum Fairy and The Cavalier performed this season by Guest Artists Matisse Love and Aaron Smyth. Matisse Love began her ballet career under the direction of the Kirov Ballet Soloist Marat Daukayev in Los Angeles and danced professionally with the Russian State Ballet Theater in Moscow under artistic director Vyacheslav Gordeev. Aaron Smyth has been a company member with the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company In New York, The Royal Ballet in London (where he created a role in Titian Metamorphosis; a collaboration with the national gallery) and The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago as well as being an original cast member in London’s West End production of An American In Paris choreographed and directed by Christopher Wheeldon.
Pasadena Dance Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” – Photo Courtesy of the artists.
The classes at PDT are divided into levels. There are the younger children, the pre-professional level and the advanced where students take ballet classes alongside professional dancers. The majority of the children who are performing in PDT’s The Nutcracker come from the Pasadena Dance Conservatory, but there are also a few who auditioned to take part in the performances. There are also several professional dancers in the production who take class at PDT every day.
Pasadena Dance Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” – Photo courtesy of PDT.
The dancers at PDT are trained by teachers who specialize in many different Classical ballet styles. They do not teach strictly Balanchine, Russian or Cecchetti ballet techniques. PDT also offers the Lester Horton technique and Ground Grooves technique. By studying classical ballet, modern and ground work, the students are equipped to dance many different ballet styles once they enter the professional arena.
***********
About the Co-directors:
A proud PDT alum, Jean Michelle Sayeg has a lasting connection to the organization’s legacy. She went on to train at San Francisco Ballet and spent several seasons performing as soloist and in principal roles at State Street Ballet and Smuin Ballet SF performing title roles in Carmen, B.A.N.D., Medea, Giselle, Petit Mort and originated Trey McIntyre’s Oh Inverted World! Eric Shah began his classical ballet training under the tutelage of Victoria Koenig, Rebecca Wright, and Stanley Holden. He then studied extensively under mentor and ballet master, Arturo Fernandez. Eric has worked with Inland Pacific Ballet for the past 30 years and was a principal dancer for 20 of those years. He danced many of the classics and in contemporary repertoire, including the works of Balanchine and Choo San Goh.
***********
WHAT: Pasadena Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker
Featuring: Guest artists Matisse Love and Aaron Smyth, The High Notes of the Pasadena, Chorale, U.S. National Men’s Four Acrobatic Gymnastic Team, Traditional Chinese Dragons, and PDT Conservatory Students.
WHEN:
Friday, December 20th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, December 21st @ 2:00pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, December 22nd @ 2:00pm
WHERE: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 S Mission Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776
TICKETS: To purchase tickets, please click HERE.
Buy the VIP Package and you will receive:
-A Backstage Tour
-Meet the dancers
-Photo opportunity on the Throne holding the Nutcracker
-A Sugar Plum Fairy Gift Bag
To learn more about the Pasadena Dance Theatre, please visit their website.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Feature image: Pasadena Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker – Photo by Kirk Jackson.
