By: Gabriela Prado
There is a special time of year
when the weather gets colder,
the days get shorter, and family
time becomes more abundant.
This special time, known as
the Holidays, spans from late
November through January. The
Holidays are a magical time,
especially in our close knit Chico
community. Every year the
community comes together to
celebrate the holidays with events
such as the Christmas Preview
and the Community Christmas
Tree lighting.
This year, Chico Performances
is proudly hosting several ways
to celebrate the arts and to ring
in the holidays with your family.
Join local youth dancers as they
perform in two shows this holiday
season, Cinderella- A Magical
Ballet and Believe- Inspired by
the Polar Express.
Chico Performances and Chico
Community Ballet are featuring
more than 60 local dancers in
their upcoming production of
Cinderella- A Magical Ballet.
Cinderella- A Magical is a
classical ballet performance based
on the popular and well loved
children’s fairy tale.
This production will feature all
the wondrous elements from
Cinderella’s well-known fable
including talented dancers,
mesmerizing costumes,
enchanting scenery, and of
course the beloved characters:
Cinderella’s mice friends, the
handsome prince, and her wicked
step sisters and mother. In its fifth
appearance in Laxson auditorium
since 1989, 37 Chico Community
Ballet company members ages
7 to 20 years old, accompanied
by additional guest dancers, and
additional community actors will
dance to the glorious music of
Sergei Prokofiev to reenact this
tale enjoyed by all generations.
For this year’s production, the
costumes are being designed to
make Cinderella’s fairytale feel
fresh and new. The three acts
throughout the ballet will be
full of sparkle shimmering from
the striking costumes adorning
the dancers. From the costume
collections of Chico State and
Chico Community Ballet,
costume designers Julie Gonzales
and Andi Mathers who will help
bring Cinderella and her friends
to breath-taking life on stage.
“I love Cinderella… It’s a great
family ballet. It’s comical and it’s
magical,” said Deborah Jorritsma,
the Artistic Director.
The leading role of Cinderella
will be played by Cameryn Titus.
Cameryn is reprising her role as
Cinderella. She has performed as
CCB company member and guest
performer for CCB for the past
19 years. Watch Cameryn and the
rest of the hard working dancers
perform in Cinderella- A Magical
Ballet in Laxson Auditorium
on November 17, 24, and 25.
After each of the matinees on
November 17, 24, and 25, the
dancers will host a meet and greet
with audience members.
Believe is an original production
that was created by the brother
and sister team of Jeff and Sarah
Schneeweis in 2013. Believe
features over 105 young local
dancers ages 4 to 25. Believe was
inspired by the movie and book,
The Polar Express, and tells this
classic Christmas story through
several different dance scenes.
When asked what makes her
show so special, creator Sarah
Schneeweis said, “The show has
so much variety in music and
types of dance, so it’s always
delivering the unexpected and
keeps the audience engaged. But
the best part about the show…it
takes a heart-warming story and
brings the magic of the holidays
to everyone’s heart! It’s such a
fun show to see at Christmas!”
Believe’s dance production
features contemporary and
modern dance. The dancers in
Believe range from advanced
dancers to beginners, with all the
levels in between.
In previous years, Believe had
sold out performances at Pleasant
Valley’s Performing Arts Center.
Due to demand for tickets, this
production has moved to Laxson
Auditorium this year for four
performances and two field trips.
Believe will be performed in
Laxson Auditorium on December
7, 8, and 9.
In an interview, Sarah stated,
“This year the dancers are thrilled
to perform at the Laxson stage
for so many people! We are busy
adding scenes and creating new
exciting moments in our show,
and they’re really looking forward
to share this with so many people
in our community.”
Believe and Cinderella will
also be featured as a part of the
Chico Performances Field Trip
Series for local school children.
At Chico Performances, we love
bringing the arts to the Chico
community, but even more than
that, we love getting a chance to
showcase local talent. There are
so many talented youth in Chico
and having two dance shows to
feature during the Holiday season,
is a great way to engage with the
community. For more information
visit Chicoperformances.com, see
you at the theatre.