Engage Dance Theatre, a year-round pre-professional dance company in Crystal Lake for ages 5-18 produces three performances a year including a full-length co-production of The Nutcracker with Raue Center For The Arts. The Nutcracker will appear at Raue Center for a limited engagement on November 18 & 19 with performances at 1 pm and 5 pm.
Join Clara at her annual Christmas Eve party at the Staulbaum house enjoying a night full of celebration, dancing and magic! As the party comes to a close Clara sneaks downstairs to find her precious new Nutcracker doll and falls asleep dreaming of her wonderful evening. She is startled awake by a group of mischievous mice and taken on an exciting journey with Drosselmeyer and her precious Nutcracker. Battling a life-size mouse Queen, slipping & sliding with snowmen & dazzling Snow Queen, and then flying off on an enchanted crystal sleigh to meet the Queen of the Angels and her herald of Angles at the gates of the Land of Sweets. Spanish Chocolate, Arabian Coffee, Chinese Tea, Russian Taffy, Marzipan Candy, Merry & her sweet Mini Mints, Dew Drop with her carousel of flowers, and the elegant Sugar Plum Fairy & her Cavalier all dance for Clara in an adventure not to be missed this holiday season!
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be the new dance company in residence with this cornerstone nonprofit. The Raue Center for the Arts provides for our Engage Dance Academy young artists a state of art performance space and access to industry professionals whose expertise has benefited our performances in the past,” says co-owner Courtney Petrocci. “Looking to the future we see this as an opportunity for both organizations to grow & produce great theatre & dance for the local & greater northern Illinois arts community.”
Engage Dance Academy is a premier dance academy owned & operated by Courtney & Marc Petrocci, former professional dancers at the Milwaukee Ballet. Bringing professional caliber dance training to Mchenry County for dancers ages 18 months-Adult. Engage is a triple-track dance studio offering dance classes for all levels. Engage Dance Theatre also hosts an award-winning competition team for those dancers looking to compete in Chicago-based competitions; and an Open Division for dancers looking for a wide variety of weekly classes ranging from baby ballet, jazz, hip hop, and Aerial Silks & Tumbling.
For more information visit engagedanceacademy.com
About Raue Center For The Arts
Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 20 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available, and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination.
For additional information, visit rauecenter.org or call the Box Office at 815.356.9212.
