A Premiere Training Facility
Martine Harley, Artistic Director
Yvonne Mounsey, Founder
Santa Monica, California
Yvonne Mounsey, Founder
Santa Monica, California
We were excited to host two guest Sugar Plum Fairies this year who are both native Southern Californians, Erin Rivera-Brennand and Joy Womack.
Joy Womack began her ballet training with Westside School of Ballet before continuing on with the Bolshoi Academy in Moscow, Russia. Miss Womack is now the first American female dancer to ever be accepted into the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet. We were thrilled that she returned to us this holiday season to perform.
Erin Rivera-Brennand, who has been a professional ballerina with Texas Ballet Theater and Los Angeles Ballet, graced our stage in 2007 when she performed the role of Princess Aurora in our full-length production of Sleeping Beauty to sold-out audiences. Miss Rivera-Brennand has been part of the Westside Ballet family for many years and we were honored to have her performing with us again this year.
The role of Clara, the daughter in the Silberhaus family who guides us through her adventures with The Nutcracker, was proudly filled this year by two Westside Ballet students. Anna Davtyan is 12 years old, and has been dancing at Westside ballet since she was 5 She participated in the School of American Ballet summer program in 2011 and 2012. Anna has a special interest in music and plays both piano and viola. She is in seventh grade at Paul Revere Middle School SAS (School for Advanced Studies) program, and lives in Pacific Palisades.
Emilia “Milly” Davies began taking ballet classes at age 3 in Sydney, Australia. She moved to Los Angeles the week she turned 5, and joined classes at Westside Ballet even before her family had found a place to live or enrolled her in elementary school! Milly is in 7th Grade at Corpus Christi School, Pacific Palisades. She loves art, reading (and shopping!) and especially to dance with her older sister, Bella.
Westside Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is a Los Angeles tradition dating all the way back to 1973. The Wadsworth Theater in Brentwood has been the production’s home since 1999.Showcasing the most promising young dancers in Los Angeles, Westside Ballet’s The Nutcracker is the traditional, full-length ballet in two acts, with lavish costumes and exuberant choreography.Brought to life by falling snow and a Christmas tree that grows, Westside Ballet’s The Nutcracker is not only the longest running Nutcracker production in Los Angeles history — it’s based on George Balanchine’s original version and the traditional Petipa classic in quality, integrity and musicality.
Many promising dancers make their stage debuts in the Westside Ballet The Nutcracker. Our Past Productions section highlights some of the many dancers who went on to professional careers, including Monique Meunier (NYCB, ABT), Anna Liceica (ABT), Martine Harley (Houston Ballet), Melissa Barak (NYCB, Los Angeles Ballet), Andrew Veyette (NYCB), Stayce Camparo (Kansas City Ballet) and Francis Veyette (Pennsylvania Ballet).