State Theatre New Jersey

Company Artists
Tiziano Cerrato, Madison Elizabeth Egyud, Annie Johnson, Roland Jones, Seth Koffler, Lily Krisko, Andrea Marini, Aldeir Monteiro, Leandro Olcese, Clara Pevel, Anthony Pototski, Michelle Quiner, Savannah Quiner, Erikka Reenstierna-Cates, Matanya Solomon, Ryoko Tanaka, Nanako Yamamoto

Apprentices
Emily Cordies-Maso, Jasmine Jasper, Isaac Petit, Tomoya Suzuki

ARB2
Avery Snyder

Cheryl Whitney
Princeton Ballet Workshop Coordinator
& Jr. and Sr. Rehearsal Director

Rebeca Maso, Amy Megules, Anna McDowell, Ana Novoa
Princeton Ballet School Rehearsal Directors

This production also features students from the Princeton Ballet School, the official school of American Repertory Ballet.

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

What a joy to be here with you, celebrating the magic of the holiday season!!

I can’t help but smile at the children twirling in the lobby or eyeing treasures at The Nutcracker boutique. I love their wide-eyed wonderment when they hear the first notes of Tchaikovsky’s glorious score and their sudden stillness when the curtain rises on Act I. American Repertory Ballet’s The Nutcracker inspires these kinds of magical moments, which is why so many families have made this ballet a holiday tradition - for 60 years!

Whether this is your first time seeing The Nutcracker, or you are a longtime patron, we hope you also find moments of delight that inspire you to see more of American Repertory Ballet’s programming throughout the year.

In 2024, March 8th to 10th at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, we invite you to another all-Tchaikovsky enchanting program, “Classic Beauty,” featuring excerpts from two crown jewels of the classical ballet repertoire: Swan Lake (Act II) and The Sleeping Beauty (Act III).

If you enjoy more contemporary movement and music, ARB presents “Elevate” at the Kaye Playhouse in New York City on March 30th. Having just premiered at the NBPAC this October, critics say it “leaves an audience breathless with its energy” and is “a superb ARB program; an elixir of dance.”

ARB then returns to McCarter Theatre in Princeton on April 4th with “Of Swans and Variants,” a spellbinding reprise of Swan Lake (Act II) and Ethan Stiefel’s VARIANTS. Set to Brahms’ Händel Variations, Op. 24, the Ballet Herald describes VARIANTS as “celebratory, punchy, comical” with a “pure party” feel that showcases ARB’s versatility.

From May 10th to 12th, ARB will present Ethan Stiefel’s whimsical one-act ballet - A Midsummer Night’s Dream - which premiered in 2022 to sold-out audiences. Set to Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic score with additional music written for film by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the enchanting production transports audiences to a fantastical forest filled with fairies, elves, mischief, romance, joy, and love.

Please visit arballet.org for a full list of upcoming events, including Princeton Ballet School’s spring performances, celebrating the organization’s 70th anniversary. If any children in the audience are inspired by what they see onstage, they too can be part of the magic and enroll for classes at American Repertory Ballet’s official school with studios in New Brunswick, Princeton, and Cranbury.

On behalf of our entire cast, staff, and crew, thank you for joining us and for supporting the arts in our community. We hope to see you again in the new year!

Julie Diana Hench
Executive Director

American Repertory Ballet would like to thank Bloomberg Philanthropies for its generous support of The Nutcracker and for supporting ARB’s Dance for Parkinson’s program.

More information about Dance for Parkinson’s and other American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School programs can be found at arballet.org.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Music
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography
Audrée and Bud Estey, and after Mary Barton, Douglas Martin, and Marius Petipa, with additional choreography by Ian Hussey and Ethan Stiefel

Lighting Design
Christopher Chambers

Scenic Design
Douglas Martin, Lauren Parrish (Act 1 Party Scene), Carl Sprague (Tree, Snow Scene, Act 2), Ron Czyzewski (Props)

Costume Design
Lowell A. Mathwich and Gina Ricca, with additional costume design by Janessa Cornell Urwin

Director of Production
Jeremiah Bischoff

Production Stage Manager
Cheryl Mintz

Stage Manager
Jackie Mariani

Lighting Supervisor
Christopher Chambers (McCarter Theatre & Patriots Theater)
Jason Flamos (State Theatre New Jersey)
Ridley Walker (Two River Theater)

Wardrobe Supervisor
Janessa Cornell Urwin

Associate Wardrobe Supervisor
Devon Nicole Austin

Wardrobe Assistant
Ali Jans

Dressers
Aubrey Hess, Madleen Knutson

Children’s Stage Manager
Amanda Donato

Children’s Stage Manager Assistant
Sarah Hogan

Technical Assistant
Rylee Berger

THE STORY OF THE NUTCRACKER

ACT I

The Party

The story begins with the annual Christmas Eve tree lighting party at the Silverhaus’ home. Clara and Fritz anxiously wait outside the parlor when, to Clara’s horror and Fritz’s delight, the maid enters the hall, chasing a mouse from the pantry. Father calls the children in, and the tree is lit. As guests arrive, we are introduced to the Elegant Family, the Widow and her daughter, the Dapper Gent and the Big Family with their nine children. After a festive dance the mysterious Drosselmeyer and their Nephew arrive. Drosselmeyer reveals wonderful mechanical dolls and then presents their niece Clara with a beautifully carved Nutcracker. As all of the children watch Drosselmeyer’s demonstration, Fritz becomes jealous and grabs the gift from Clara. In his flight, he drops and breaks it. Drosselmeyer bandages the Nutcracker and gives it to Clara. The party winds down, the guests depart, and the Silverhaus family goes to bed.

The Battle

Unable to sleep, Clara sneaks downstairs to visit her Nutcracker. As she dances in the parlor, the shadows and the movement of mice disturb her delight. Drosselmeyer appears and casts her into a dream world, transforming the parlor into a battleground between an army of soldiers and rats. Clara is amazed as the now life-size Nutcracker and his army of soldiers defend the Christmas tree from the Rat King’s minions. Clara defends her beloved Nutcracker by throwing her shoe at the Rat King – vanquishing him and his awful troop.

Land of Snow

Drosselmeyer reappears and transforms the wounded Nutcracker into the Nutcracker Prince who will accompany Clara on an enchanted journey. The parlor is magically transformed again into a Land of Snow, where Clara and the Nutcracker Prince meet the beautiful Snow Queen and King and are dazzled by whirlwinds of Snowflakes.

ACT II

Land of Sweets

Clara and the Nutcracker Prince make their way to the Land of Sweets and are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Prince tells the story of the great battle for the Christmas tree and how Clara saved the day by thwarting the Rat King. As a reward for Clara’s heroism, the Sugar Plum Fairy presents a suite of dances by her friends Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Birdsong, Candy Cane, Marzipan, and the Polichinelles. Following a waltz by Dewdrop and the Flowers and the grand finale by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, Clara is returned to the comfort of her family’s parlor and wakes from her wonderful journey. Was it all a dream?

SCENES

ACT 1

THE PARTY

DAPPER COLLEGIATE
Derek Fox

PARTY CHILDREN
Irene Austin, Sydney Benjamin, Zola Bunting, Elisabeth Colón, Evelyn Colón, Roma Copolla, Pragya Deepak, Angelena Gonzalez, Serafina Gonzalez, Elsie Hart, Seanna Hsieh, Dylan Kazalonis, Estefania Lemus, Karl Liao, Olivia Luddy, Dyuthi Menon, Ariana Nicozisis, Maya Nowakowska, Seraphina Pereira, Sophie Prussan, Sofie Ramirez, Isabella Ramos Rudder, Andrea Reyes, Arielle Rodriguez, Samantha Rodriguez, Norah Thorn, Noelle Vitelli, Joshua Vorobeychik, Hannah Wang, Georgina Zetterberg

THE BATTLE

MICE
Marie Arberet, Mayzie Bojarski, Isabelle Breaux, Charlotte Carr|Mordkoff, Katherine Chiu, Flynn Conover, Defne Demirbilek, Ksenia Ekshtut, Annabelle Gu, Mira Gurbuzbalaban, Evangelina Jackson, Eleanor Kang, Georgie Katz, Isabel Lazzaruolo, Nadia London, Zelene Mendoza, Siobhan Mullaly, Savannah Noonan, Isabella Osores, Anubah Pal, Gabriella Pereira, Jacqueline Allie Pereira, Lucie Philippe, Ruby Rohrbach, Kimberly Ruiz, Arya Sarda, Siona Sood, Viola Swanson|Berman, Noble Tabora|Adams, Olivia Tsai, Mia Ulis, Lily Whaley, Bridget Wilhelm, Sophia Xu, Sujia Zhang

RATS
Morgane Barberousse, Charlotte Beltranda, April Bond, Kaileigh Cagnassola, Samara Cohen, Allison DiVito, Felicia Garro, Sofia Melo, Emily Parlock, Danielle Shouldice, Kelsey Tangorra

SOLDIERS
Lara Bracilovic Cooper, Xiying Dang, Elsie Davis, Josephine Domingo, Maya Granado, Christianna Hartley, Carey He, Sadie Justus, Carolina Kime, Andrea LaSpisa, Kako Maemura, Remi Emanuelle Malinowski, Alexandra Murray, Sophia Ni, Ariana Nicozisis, Ava Oropeza, Gabriella Poynter, Olivia Poynter, Isabella Ramos Rudder, Violet von Roemer, Beatriz Vozone, Isabella Winkler, Yawen Yuan, Georgina Zetterberg

THE LAND OF SNOW

SNOWFLAKES
Avery Alley, Leila Alpizar, Kaileigh Cagnassola, Sofia Ferrigno, Elisabeth Hedeen, Gianna Hickey, Beatris Khamidullaeva, Jillian Kramarck, Anja Mannella, Samara Moran, Electra Morley, Ayano Nakamura, Yuki Ochi, Ellody Peters, Maya Pope, Iara Rodrigues, Clara Sánchez, Karin Seiki, Gemma Smith, Mari Suzuki, Misaki Tajima, Kanami Takashima, Schuyler Torres, Johanna Marie Yatco, Shin-Ying Yu

— 15 MINUTE INTERMISSION —
Please visit our Nutcracker boutique in the lobby for specialty gift items and souvenirs.

ACT 2

THE LAND OF SWEETS

HOT CHOCOLATE
Annie Johnson & Leandro Olcese | Dec 15, 7:30pm
Michelle Quiner & Tiziano Cerrato | Dec 16, 2pm
Savannah Quiner & Tiziano Cerrato | Dec 16, 7pm
Annie Johnson & Leandro Olcese | Dec 17, 1pm
Nanako Yamamoto & Leandro Olcese | Dec 17, 5pm
Madeleine Agcaoili, Micaela Boyle, Sophia Budny, Kori Decoteau, Pierson DelVecchio, Ella Greenberger, Cara Kim, Mimansa Kumar, Annie Lockman, Olivia Lumba, Ambra Mele, Georgia Melnick, Alissa Nagata, Nia Nicozisis, Anastasia Poljevka, Lillian Quick, Lillian Renninger, Charlotte Zetterberg

COFFEE
Emily Cordies-Maso & Roland Jones | Dec 15, 7:30pm
Madison Elizabeth Egyud, Savannah Quiner
Madison Elizabeth Egyud & Roland Jones | Dec 16, 2pm
Avery Snyder, Jasmine Jasper
Erikka Reenstierna-Cates & Leandro Olcese | Dec 16, 7pm
Avery Snyder, Emily Cordies-Maso
Emily Cordies-Maso & Roland Jones | Dec 17, 1pm
Madison Elizabeth Egyud, Savannah Quiner
Emily Cordies-Maso & Roland Jones | Dec 17, 5pm
Avery Snyder, Jasmine Jasper

BIRDSONG
Jasmine Jasper | Dec 15, 7:30pm
Erikka Reenstierna-Cates | Dec 16, 2pm
Annie Johnson | Dec 16, 7pm
Jasmine Jasper | Dec 17, 1pm
Madison Elizabeth Egyud | Dec 17, 5pm
Rhea Aiyar, Laura Babikian, Elsa Barzilai, Julia Dismukes, Adeola Egbeleye, Elle Haan, Alexandra Kaus, Amanda Lee, Ambra Mele, Sudeepta Murthy, Finlay Nyce, Eliana Padron, Rebecca Padron, Teddy Pruszinski, Holly Rizzo, Jacqueline Ramos Rudder, Kendall Sands, Sarah Santucci, Kristina Sarkisova, Ava Schwinghammer, Lily Solomon, Skyla Vera, Audrey Wilhelm, Natalie Yorhling, Jingwen Yuan, Cici Yu, Jessica Zhang, Aimee (Dingtong) Zou

CANDY CANE
Seth Koffler | Dec 15, 7:30pm
Tomoya Suzuki | Dec 16, 2pm
Seth Koffler | Dec 16, 7pm
Seth Koffler | Dec 17, 1pm
Tomoya Suzuki | Dec 17, 5pm
Josie An, Micaela Boyle, Amolika Chatterjee, Stella Conanan, Elsie Davis, Kori Decoteau, Josephine Domingo, Maya Granado, Ella Greenberger, Sophia Hakim, Christianna Hartley, Cara Kim, Mimansa Kumar, Annie Lockman, Olivia Lumba, Audrey Morton, Alissa Nagata, Sophia Ni

MARZIPAN
Lily Krisko | Dec 15, 7:30pm
Emily Cordies-Maso | Dec 16, 2pm
Madison Elizabeth Egyud | Dec 16, 7pm
Lily Krisko | Dec 17, 1pm
Michelle Quiner | Dec 17, 5pm
Avery Alley, Laura Babikian, Sofia Ferrigno, Jillian Kramarck, Ayano Nakamura, Finlay Nyce, Karin Seiki, Gemma Smith, Avery Snyder, Mari Suzuki, Misaki Tajima, Natalie Yohrling, Cici Yu, Shin-Ying Yu

POLICHINELLES
Ella Baldwin, Stella Conanan, Lara Bracilovic Cooper, Josephine Domingo, Maya Granado, Sophia Hakim, Christianna Hartley, Tanajah Harriatt, Sadie Justus, Andrea LaSpisa, Catherine Liese-Spencer, Giada LoBosco, Annie Lockman, Kako Maemura, Audrey Morton, Alexandra Murray, Sophia Ni, Ariana Nicozisis, Ava Oropeza, Gabriella Poynter, Olivia Poynter, Isabella Ramos Rudder, Gabriella Ruel, Violet Von Roemer, Beatriz Vozone, Yawen Yuan

FLOWERS
Avery Alley, Leila Alpizar, Laura Babikian, Kaileigh Cagnassola, Sofia Ferrigno, Eliza Griffin, Elle Haan, Elisabeth Hedeen, Gianna Hickey, Beatris Khamidullaeva, Jillian Kramarck, Anja Mannella, Samara Moran, Ayano Nakamura, Finlay Nyce, Yuki Ochi, Rebecca Padron, Maya Pope, Jacqueline Ramos Rudder, Iara Rodrigues, Kendall Sands, Kristina Sarkisova, Ava Schwinghammer, Karin Seiki, Danielle Shouldice, Gemma Smith, Mari Suzuki, Misaki Tajima, Schuyler Torres, Leena Vicario, Johanna Marie Yatco, Natalie Yohrling, Cici Yu, Shin-Ying Yu, Aimee (Dingtong) Zou

Casting is subject to change.

PBS dancers are listed under all of the roles they will perform throughout the Nutcracker season.

TIS THE SEASON: TWO ARB DANCERS AND A PBS PIANIST SHARE THEIR NUTCRACKER JOURNEYS

By Erikka Reenstierna-Cates

The rain that frosts to snowfall, powder-flocked trees dotting the roads. The gifts exchanged, the stockings stuffed—the bellies, too. The dreidels spun and the candles lit. The cookies and pies decorated in bright sugared crystals, the tinsel and ornaments hung with care. Familiar tunes we all know by heart float through the air, matched by the duet of the laughter and good tidings we share with those near and far. These are staple hallmarks of the holiday season, and what holiday season would be complete without The Nutcracker.

Erikka Reenstierna-Cates as Hot Chocolate Photo by Leighton Chen P

My first Nutcracker experience came at the age of 12 when I was cast as an angel, eager and honored to welcome Clara into the Land of Sweets at the start of Act 2. I had attended school matinee performances of that particular production of The Nutcracker for years; buses of us kids watching as the local professional company dressed the stage and danced effortlessly as snowflakes and candy canes and dewdrops and fairies. I was enchanted, enrapt. Already a young ballet student, I remember feeling the weight and momentum of the dancers’ movements in my own body. Their port de bras prickling phantoms in my arms, their delicate footwork causing my toes to tap. And when the opportunity came, and I auditioned for that company’s Nutcracker—nervous and fluttering because it meant so much—I nearly exploded with glee when I got selected. I was a part of the very thing that I had adored and idolized—and there I was, in my own tiny way, contributing to a legacy that began long before me and will continue far beyond me.

Another Dancer’s Perspective

I asked American Repertory Ballet’s Avery Snyder about her memories of the ballet. “Like a lot of people’s first experience with The Nutcracker, my parents took me to see a show. I can’t remember who was performing—it was somewhere in Virginia—but even at the time, I knew that I was in this. I was already taking ballet classes, and watching that live performance was very inspirational to me. The Nutcracker is a good introductory ballet for kids; it has a story that’s easy to follow, it’s colorful, there’s a lot of action.”

“My first time dancing it, I was a soldier,” she described. “I was a little bit older—10 or 11 years old—and it was so exciting: to play a role, to play a character. You’ve done your spring shows and your recitals, but to finally be able to perform a role was such a big deal.”

“A couple years later, I was cast as Clara’s understudy—and that felt like an even bigger deal because I had never understudied anything before, and then to be Clara when you’re that age, it was huge! That year my father actually played Drosselmeyer. He’s a musical theater guy, and he did a lot of productions in high school and college and had the experience, so when they needed someone, he immediately fit the bill. There were a few times we got to rehearse together,” she beamed. Touched, I couldn’t help but conjure the warm image: the legacy of the Nutcracker, shared between a father and his daughter. “It was a very special experience to get to dance with him.”

After graduating from UNCSA, Snyder joined the ARB/PBS trainee program in 2021. “Day one was Nutcracker and right away, we were set in the corps. From that, I definitely gained the skill set of learning how to be in a corps de ballet: dancing together with everyone, on your mark and in your lines, but also being able to grow within yourself while portraying a character, like a snowflake or flower.” It's common knowledge that the corps de ballet is the workhorse of any production. Oftentimes, companies are not so much critiqued by their stars as they are by the unity and grace of their corps dancers.

“As a trainee, we also had the opportunity to put on in-studio productions where we got to do soloist or even principal roles. My first year I danced the lead in Birdsong, and the second year I got to do Dewdrop. It’s exciting—having the opportunity to fully express yourself and make your own decisions as a dancer. That’s the part I always enjoy the most: the expression. That’s why I do it.” Now a member of ARB2, Snyder will be performing as the Columbine Doll and in the Marzipan and Coffee corps this season.

A Musician’s Perspective

From car commercials to jewelry ads, we all seem to be merrily inundated with the waltzes and melodies from The Nutcracker, making the music of the ballet a quintessential accompaniment to this time of year.

I chatted with pianist Ian Howells to get a musical standpoint on the endearing, iconic score. “My first experience with Nutcracker was an ARB school performance in 2006 at the Patriots Theater,” he said. “I had two classmates who were performing in the show, and the whole school traveled to the theater to see them perform—one in the party scene, the other as a mouse in the dream sequence.”

Howells is a pianist with Princeton Ballet School where he expertly plays for classes of all ages during the week. He is also a composer himself and has created a world premiere composition for ARB’s memorable Hindsight, choreographed by Ryoko Tanaka. In short, Howells is no layperson when it comes to the field. “Tchaikovsky’s music, particularly his music written for dance, has three exciting compositional elements that I am quite keen to: the lyric, floating melodies; the use of extended harmony, like the addition of chord tones outside traditional diatonic harmony, or altering of said harmony by raising or lowering a note by semitone; and perhaps my favorite element, the use of hemiolas to create a rhythmic shift between duple and triple meter. These sequences are found throughout the score, perhaps most recognizably in the Waltz of the Flowers.”

Classical music aficionados and ballet lovers alike might recognize a unique sound in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s score: the twinkling chime of the celesta, which the composer discovered while traveling through Paris in 1891. Howells has experience with the instrument after first playing it with the Nutcracker Orchestra at State Theatre in 2022. “The instrument is laid out as a keyboard instrument but spans fewer octaves than a piano. The main difference is that of tone,” he explains. “A piano will typically have a strong percussive sound with notes that decay rather quickly. The celesta has a softer percussive sound, but the notes tend to ring out longer, giving it a more bell-like tone. While used sparingly in the overall orchestration, perhaps five minutes of playing for a two hour production, it is the lead instrument in the Sugar Plum variation, making three to four of those minutes exceedingly important.” If you happen to peer into the orchestra pit during our State Theatre New Jersey run of shows, be sure to catch a glimpse of him playing this ethereal instrument!

A Timeless Classic

Finally, I consulted both artists as to why in their opinion, The Nutcracker remains so evergreen, to performers and audiences alike. “As a dancer,” Snyder said, “hearing the music for the first time really signifies the beginning of the holiday season; there is something truly magical in the tradition of that. It becomes a comfort to come back to it every year.” Howells agreed, “It’s a timeless holiday classic that connects a mystical story with the beloved art forms of music and dance. There is something for everyone in any given production, and it is often associated with the time spent with family or dear friends, away from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.” He concluded, “Being immersed in art is perhaps the one place you’d want to be lost without being found.”

Erikka Reenstierna-Cates is a dancer with American Repertory Ballet
and feature writer for the 2023/24 season.

ARB ORCHESTRA

Violin I
Ruotao Mao, concertmaster
Eugenia Goldman
Cheng-Hsun Tsai
Sandra Billingslea
Robert Radliff
Linda Howard

Violin II
Ann Marie Pocklembo
Benjamin Hellman
Elzbieta Winnicka
Dennis Krasnoukutsky

Viola
Ning Mu
Steven Heitlinger
Marge Selden
Ruth Conti

Cello
Elina Lang
Tomasz Rzecycki
Mira Kang

Bass
Jack Hill
Stephen Groat

Flute
Anthony Trionfo
Katherine McClure

Clarinet
Keri Ann DiBari
Christopher Sumner

Oboe
Melissa Bohl
Erin Banholzer

Bassoon
Andrea Herr
Zach Feingold

Horn
Tim McCarthy
Debbie Schmidt

Trumpet
Jean-Christophe Dobrzelewski
Tom Boulton

Trombone
Gilles Bernard

Tuba
Charles Giannelli

Percussion
Greg Giannascoli

Timpani
Kenneth Riehman

Harp
Kathryn Sloat

Celesta
Ian Howells

Musical Contractor
Greg Giannascoli

Kenneth Bean (Conductor) was appointed Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra in October 2021, and as such serves as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey’s Symphonic Orchestra. He has appeared as a guest conductor for the Marywood String Festival, Berks County Orchestra Festival, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His past music director/conductor appointments include the Junior String Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, the Young People’s Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, and Luzerne Music Center. He currently serves as assistant conductor of Symphony in C, conductor of the Symphony in C Youth Orchestra in Collingswood, NJ, and director/conductor of the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music Education degree from Jackson State University.

PRINCETON GIRLCHOIR

Artistic Director – Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins, DMA
Executive Director – Lorraine Goodman
Associate Music Director - Maddie Meier

Rebecca Anderson
Shannon Frantz
Sofia Ghani
Emmeline Gordon
Arun Karpur
Isabella Kokotajlo
Amy Kuma
Sonja Lazovic
Shloka Maheria
Jaz Martinez
Ashmi Mehta
Aadya Nair
Anya Nirschl
Valerie Oginsky
Clementine Oppong

Sarangi Pareek
Janvi Parikh
Visa Ramanathan
Aditi Rapaka
Samantha Rattner
Veidika Sen
Naomika Seshasayee
Mahi Sharma
Henna Sharma
Ella Sharpe
Oishani Sinharay
Prisha Talukdar
Leah Valcin
Tara Venkatesh
Angelina Xu
Penelope Yeung

ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Ethan Stiefel

(The Nora C. Orphanides Artistic Director)

PRODUCTION TEAM

(Director of Production)

Cheryl Mintz

(Production Stage Manager)

AMERICAN REPERTORY BALLET DANCERS

Tiziano Cerrato

Madison Elizabeth Egyud

Erikka Reenstierna-Cates

APPRENTICES

ARB2

AMERICAN REPERTORY BALLET and PRINCETON BALLET SCHOOL STAFF

Ethan Stiefel
The Nora C. Orphanides Artistic Director

Julie Diana Hench
Executive Director

Aydmara Cabrera
School Director

Harriet Clark and Calvin Hilpert
Rehearsal Directors

Gillian Murphy
Artistic Associate

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Director of Finance: Dawn Dell’Omo
Director of Production: Jeremiah Bischoff
Director of Development: Melanie Dixon
Development Manager: Rachel Abrams
Development Associate: Joanne Diez
ARB Administrative Manager: Tessa Murphy
Business Manager: Tony Lee
Communication & Operations Manager: Dan Bauer
ARB Social Media Content Manager: Michelle Quiner
Feature Writer: Erikka Reenstierna-Cates
Special Project Intern: Elena Yasin

ACCESS & ENRICHMENT
Access & Enrichment Manager: Lindsay Cahill
DANCE POWER Teaching Artists: Nicole Bednar, Lindsay Cahill, Shannon Dolan, Sarah Fratesi, Olivia Musanti, Stephanie Palm
Dance for Parkinson’s Lead Teacher: Rachel Stanislawczyk
Outreach Teaching Artist: Alexandra Jans

PRINCETON BALLET SCHOOL
Office Manager & Children’s Coordinator: Amanda Donato
Summer Programs Coordinator & Cranbury Principal: Carol Bellis
PBW Coordinator & PBW Jr. and Sr. Rehearsal Director: Cheryl Whitney
PBS Administrative Manager: Megan Teat
Music Director: Jonathan Benjamin

FACULTY
Carol Bellis, Lindsay Cahill, Emily Cordies-Maso, Amanda Donato, Anna Fredeen, Katrina Jans, Anna McDowell, Rebeca Maso, Amy Megules, Olivia Miranda, Kathleen Moore, Ana Novoa, Luis Napoles, Shari Nyce, Yuliya Rakova, Maura Ryan, Erikka Reenstierna-Cates, Rachel Stanislawczyk, Ryoko Tanaka, Susan Tenney, Cheryl Whitney, Nanako Yamamoto

TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Jade Jackson, Aslan Meneses

ACCOMPANISTS
Jonathan Benjamin, Raul Cordies, Mila Fursik, G.G. Glazer-Armstrong, Ian Howells, Richard Moskowitz, Megan Register, Marina Salganik, David Tenney, Pavel Zarukin

RECEPTIONISTS
Lane Dallape, Sophia Frances, Felicia Garro, Elena Konovalov, Lauren Levine

ARB BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Susan Croll, Chair
Daphne Jones, Vice Chair
Ngoc Nguyen, Secretary
Ronald Blake, Treasurer

Akira Bell
Magrielle Eisen
Ken Fredeen, Ph.D.
Peter Gerry
Sue Howard
Penelope Lattimer, Ph.D. (ex Officio)
Nancy MacMillan
Melissa Marschner
Charles Metcalf
Margaret Ruttenberg, M.D.
Jane Silverman
Joel Studebaker

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Penelope Lattimer, Ph.D., Chair

Nancy Becker
Ana Bracilovic, M.D.
The Honorable Jim Cahill
Dinesh Dhanaraj, M.D.
Betsy Garlatti
Joan Girgus
Barry Hughson
Florence Kahn
Michele Kent
Marie Mascherin
Michael Mindlin
Jorge Moya
Gabriella Vajtay

THANK YOU TO THESE ARB SUPPORTERS

Trustees’ Council ($50,000 & above)
Nancy and Duncan MacMillan
Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund
Anonymous
The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund
Princeton Area Community Foundation
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Nora C. Orphanides

Executive Director’s Council ($10,000 - $49,999)
Anonymous
Peter Gerry
Lewis P. and Genevieve L. Geyser
Harlequin Floors*
B. Sue Howard
The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation
Charlotte Mathey
The Curtis W. McGraw Foundation
National Philanthropic Trust
New Jersey Historic Trust
Nguyen-Schadrack Family
Parkinson's Foundation
Margaret and John C. Ruttenberg
The Shubert Foundation

Artistic Director’s Council ($2,500 - $9,999)
Anonymous
Aresty Foundation
Akira Bell and Ronald Blake
Tucker and Catherine Brown
The Campbell Family Foundation
Dr. Ana Bracilovic Cooper and Dr. Grant Cooper
Susan Croll and Paul Monasevitch
DEVCO | New Brunswick Development Corporation
Fidelity Charitable
First Bank
DonnaJean and Kenneth Fredeen
The Heston Charitable Gift Foundation
James N. Heston
Dr. Steven and Mrs. Florence Kahn
Kahn Family Philanthropic Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Mercer
Sharon Karmazin
Barry and Amy Krisko
Penelope E. Lattimer, Ph.D.
Melissa and David Marschner
Mathematica
Charles E. Metcalf
Luis and Beth Padron
William and Christina Phillips
Rider University
Robert’s Florals*
Santa Barbara Foundation
Harald Schrader Photography*
Jocelyn Schwartzman
Jane Silverman
Joel Studebaker and Rachel Gray
Hiromi and Tetsuya Suzuki

Patron ($1,000 - $2,499)
Carol Ackerman
Mark Baldry
Joseph Benincasa
Patrick and Andrea Bradley
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Jane L. Burgin
Aydmara Cabrera
The Honorable Jim Cahill and Mrs. Laura Cahill
The Edward T. Cone Foundation
Drs. Dinesh and Priya Dhanaraj
Elizabeth Garlatti
The Merrill G. & Emita E. Hastings Foundation
Ryan Hill
Daphne Jones
Robert Kristman
Ena and RJ Lumba
Joan Mazzotti
Annisa and Daren Mele
Cheryl Mintz and Harris Richter
Janet Muscarella
New Brunswick City Market
NJM Insurance Group
Michael Paluszek and Marilyn Ham
Lisa Patterson
Priscilla Saint Laurent
Schaefer Family Philanthropic Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Mercer
Scott and Jeri Schaefer
Schiro Family Foundation
Vitor Silva and Carla Vozone
Ethan Stiefel and Gillian Murphy
Wayne Vaccaro and Kim Chandler Vaccaro
Stephen and Gabriella S. Vajtay
Tricia and Fernando Vera

Sustainer ($500 - $999)
Nancy Becker Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation
Mary Carolyn Biondi
Linda Blackburn
Dan and Jolene Crowley
Anthony and Mary Ann Garro
Gaynor Minden
Julie and Zachary Hench
Kathy P. Johnson
Michele Kent
Philip Kirstein
Bill and Geniva Martin
Marie Mascherin and Ernest Cerino
Rebeca Maso and Raul Cordies
Michelle McDonald
Jonathan Nicozisis
Frank and Elen Pasquale
Galina Peterson
Kimberlee Phelan
William and Christina Phillips
Kathleen Stacy
James Whitehill

Ambassador ($100 - $499)
Jim Adair
Marie Adair
Mostafa Ahmed
Stella J. Allen
Rafael Alvarez
Gabrielle Alvarez-Cabrera
Art Sparks
Marina Atme
Judy Bailey
Vincent Baldino
Lynn Barral
Peter and Malena Barzilai
Kip Berman and Cecily Swanson
Kurt and Ashley Bischoff
Ronald Blake
Tanner Bleck
Trudy Borenstein-Sugiura
Benjamin Brault
Uneeda O. Brewer
Briteage Consulting
Matthew Brooks
Naomi Byank
Lindsay and Casey Cahill
Jennifer Carson
Irene Chiu
Valerie Cieslak
Phil and Jessica Coppola
Irene Dala
Dawn M. Dell'Omo and Glenn Wolfson
Anne DeWitt
Phil and Jennifer Dismukes
Goksu Dogan
Amanda Donato
Magrielle Eisen
Carol Estey
Beth Fayard and Jeff Jones
Emily Firmenich
Rob Gannon
David Geisler
Joan Girgus and Alan Chimacoff
Jason Grantz and Eleanor Lehman
Catherine Granzow
Susan Grosberg
Iona Harding
Teri M. Harvey
Susan Hempsell
Highland Park Cleaners
Sarah Hogan
Ian Howells
Susan Howells
HUB International Limited
Ian Hussey and Adam Scher
Katrina Jans
Glenn and Amy Jorgensen
Dirk Kassen
Cheri R. Katz
Andrea Kollath
Alexander and Christina Lazzaruolo
Ryan and Tanya Luddy
Xin Ma
Venus Majeski
Jason and Kara Mangone
Luis A. Lopez Martinez
Alma L. Martinez
McCaffrey's Market
Chris McCrone and Rebecca Benefiel-Mccrone
Arthur and Linda Meisel
Ruth Miller
David Mordkoff and Jane Carr
Arya Motwani
Eduardo and Celia Nagata
Richard Nurse and Ninfa Mueller
Kathryn Nyce
Ruby Ochoa
Peter Oropeza and Susie Chung
Robert Palestino
Senad Palislamovic and Samera Khan
Vera Papp
Bryan Park
Matthew and Laurie Parker
John and Tracy Patterson
Ashley and Shannon Pereira
Marcus P. Porcelli
Jonathan Poynter and Charo Scott
Michael Pratt and Martha Elliot
Frank and Patricia Puleio
Barry and Krista Quiner
Seetha L. Ramanathan
Jeffrey S. Romero and Sophia Fishbane
Scott Rudder and Lisa Ramos
Ana Samuel
Harald Schrader and Joyce Tsang
Bruce and Kathleen Schwartz
Amy Seiwert
Lawrence Seltzer
Amorena Simpson
Daniel and Daya Solomon
Matanya Solomon
Alan and Mima Stiefel
Dan and Jennifer Strika
Joshua Suggs
John Szabo and Alice Devoe
Howard Tomlinson and Kathryn W. Poole
Kathleen Moore Tovar
William and Lora Tremayne
Laszlo T. Varga and Joel Pacheco
Marc and Deirdre Von Roemer
Gulshan Vorobeychik
Fenghua Wen and Chao Yuan
Linda Wilks
Donald and Susan Wilson
Dolores M. Wooden
Nanako Yamamoto
Roxane Yonan
JoanMarie Zetterberg

This list reflects gifts made between July 1, 2022 and November 15, 2023. Please contact the Development Department at 732.249.1254, ext. 11 to edit your recognition or pledge your support, or visit us at arballet.org/support to make a gift.

*In-kind gift

PHOTO CREDITS

ARB Artistic and Executive Leadership photos and Dancer Headshots by Harald Schrader.
Aydmara Cabrera: Photo by Noel Valero.
Jeremiah Bischoff: Photo by Harald Schrader.
Cheryl Mintz: Photo by Matt Pilsner.

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