A young dancer from Watertown is taking the stage with the Boston Ballet in this year’s production of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.” See more details in the announcement from the Boston Ballet, below.
Simone Zupka, of Watertown, is performing in Boston Ballet’s production of Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker in the role of Reindeer. Zupka has been a student at Boston Ballet School for 4 years. The Nutcracker runs Nov. 28–Dec. 28 at the Citizens Opera House. PNC Bank is the Presenting Sponsor of Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker.
Simone is 9 years old and attends fourth grade at Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown. Outside of ballet, Simone enjoys reading and is a member of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club Wavemakers swim team, where she swims alongside her twin brother, Theo. She recently started gymnastics and loves riding bikes with Theo and their older brother, Jonas. The three siblings share a pet hedgehog named Speedy. She has attended the Boston Ballet Nutcracker for years with her mom and grandmother, Mimi, as an audience member, and is thrilled to participate on stage this year.
This version of the classic tale, created for Boston Ballet in 2012, is one of the largest productions the Company has ever built, engaging craftspeople from across the United States. Acclaimed, award-winning scenic and costume designer Robert Perdziola’s beautiful sketches were transformed into the production’s larger-than-life sets that range from muted, subtle hues in the Act I party scene to vibrant colors in Act II’s Kingdom of the Sweets. The production also incorporates more than 350 beautifully intricate costumes, designed by Perdziola. Lighting design is by renowned Finnish designer Mikki Kunttu. The Boston Ballet Orchestra, led by Boston Ballet Music Director Mischa Santora, performs Tchaikovsky’s renowned score.
All children performing in The Nutcracker are students of Boston Ballet School and Boston Ballet School’s Professional Division at Walnut Hill School for the Arts. They are trained and coached by artistic leadership including Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen, Children’s Rehearsal Director Melanie Atkins, and Boston Ballet School’s experienced faculty. Student auditions were held in September and students began rehearsals in October. Rehearsals continue through November, including rehearsals with Company dancers and costume fittings with Boston Ballet’s Costume Shop. They will experience the unique, backstage environment at the Citizens Opera House through several technical and dress rehearsals, as well as Boston Ballet Orchestra’s live accompaniment.
Participating in a professional, full-length ballet is a unique educational opportunity for ballet students, providing performance experiences outside the studio classroom. The students dance alongside Boston Ballet’s professional dancers, develop lifelong skills of commitment and focus, while bringing holiday joy to over 100,000 audience members, throughout 45 performances.
For a full synopsis and additional details, visit bostonballet.org.
All 45 performances of The Nutcracker will take place at the Citizens Opera House (539 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111)
Tickets start at $40, including a $11 Citizens Opera House fee that goes directly to the venue. For more information, visit bostonballet.org/nutcracker or call 617.695.6955.
The Nutcracker performance length is approximately 2 hours including 1 intermission.
Choreography: Mikko Nissinen
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Set & Costume Design: Robert Perdziola
Lighting Design: Mikki Kunttu
About Boston Ballet
Since 1963, Boston Ballet’s internationally acclaimed performances of classical, neoclassical, and contemporary ballets, combined with a dedication to world-class dance education and community engagement, have made the institution a leader in its field, with a 62-year history of promoting excellence and access to dance. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Ming Min Hui, the Company, made up of 68 professional dancers and 14 nationalities, performs a diverse and acclaimed repertoire ranging from full-length classical ballets to masterworks by George Balanchine, and new works and world premieres by today’s finest contemporary choreographers.
The New York Times hailed Boston Ballet’s repertoire as “one of the most eclectic in the country,” and as having dancers that are “striking by national and international standards.” Boston Ballet’s repertoire combines timeless classics such as Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, August Bournonville’s La Sylphide, Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake and Raymonda, John Cranko and John Neumeier ballets, with the imaginative visions of today’s most innovative choreographers including Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo, as well as William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Crystal Pite, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon, and Helen Pickett. In 2016, Boston Ballet began a partnership with internationally renowned choreographer William Forsythe and presented his full-length Artifact in 2017, and the world premieres of his Playlist (EP) in 2019 and Blake Works III (The Barre Project) in 2022.
The Company performs its full Boston season of six programs at the historic, 2,500-seat Citizens Opera House. Under Mikko Nissinen’s directorship, Boston Ballet’s national and international touring engagements have included Paris, New York City’s Lincoln Center, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, London Coliseum, Helsinki, Spain, Ottawa’s National Arts Center, and Seoul, Korea. Boston Ballet’s second company, Boston Ballet II, gains experience performing with the Company and independently. Boston Ballet’s Donna Egan Graduate program introduces young artists to the daily life of a professional dancer—training, rehearsing, and performing alongside BBII and the Company. Boston Ballet School provides exceptional dance training across five studio locations, reaching more than 5,000 students each year through its many core programs. Community education programs engage more than 4,000 individuals in Boston and surrounding regions.
For more information, please visit bostonballet.org.