BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – An annual ballet that has delighted audiences in County Raleigh and beyond for 32 years now, the Beckley Dance Theater School takes the stage at the Woodrow Wilson High School Auditorium for a final performance of ‘a famous Christmas story from the late 1800s – the Nutcracker.

Telling the story of Clara and her beloved Nutcracker Prince, the show is a history lesson and learning experience rolled into one for the dancers at the school.

“First of all, the history of what we do, the culture, the ways of the 1800s, they learn that, but it’s also important that they dance with professionals,” says Jerry Rose, artistic director of Beckley Dance Theater.

Student dancers have the chance to take lessons with professionals from as far away as the National Ballet of Canada, and dancers advance in their roles each year, starting as angels, growing to toy soldiers, and beyond. of the.

And after a year without an annual ballet in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity to take the stage this year has been crucial for everyone involved.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, because you still have hopes of making things work the way they should, and it looks like they are working the way they should this year,” says Rose.

And the show has seen significant turnout, from school trips by nearly 2,000 children from Fayette and Raleigh counties to sold-out shows of crowds ready to see classic history come to life.

“It’s gone, in a new project. “

As the dance theater wraps up their Beckley performances of The Nutcracker Ballet, you can see them on stage again at the Greenbrier Resort on December 29-30.

For more information, you can visit the school website.

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