Get your tutus ready! It has just been announced that you'll have three chances in December to see Misty Copeland—perhaps the most famous ballerina dancing today—perform in Orange County.
The American Ballet Theater will be bringing their production of The Nutcracker to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts for a run of shows. Of them, the company has announced Misty Copeland will be the principal dancer on December 9 and 16 and the evening show on December 17. The lead will rotate through other members of the company for each show, so on other nights you might catch Hee Seo, Isabella Boylston, Gillian Murphy or Stella Abrera performing the famous role.
While all the dancers are certain to put on a great show, there is no denying that the nights when Copeland takes the stage are likely to be the hottest tickets.
Raised largely in San Pedro, Copeland’s personal story has been an inspiration for many. She overcame odds and prejudices to learn ballet—she started much later in life than many young girls who are groomed from early childhood, and later had to take two-hour bus rides to work with trainers—and ultimately ascended to become the first African-American ever promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater, one of the world’s most elite companies.
In 2015, her autobiography, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, hit the bestseller lists and she was named one of Time’s “100 most influential people.” And, as if that all wasn’t enough, for a while, she also toured as a featured dancer for Prince.
Tickets for the run are currently on sale, so snag tickets to celebrate a holiday tradition with one of dance’s most important performers in a generation.
The American Ballet Theater production of The Nutcracker runs from December 9 to 18 at Segerstrom Hall. Performances are at 7pm with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $29 to $279.
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