Baseball and “The Nutcracker” may not have that much in common, but that’s not stopping the Ohio Dance Theatre.

This holiday season, the group has made Lake Erie Crushers outfielder Arden McWilliams a celebrity guest performer for Friday’s opening night of its annual production of “The Nutcracker,” which runs through the weekend at the Lorain County Community College’s Stocker Arts Center.

“This is our 18th year, and there are always some things that change in the production,” said Denise Gula, Ohio Dance Theatre artistic director. “This year the big news is for us to start the tradition of having a local celebrity be honored and take the role of Mother Ginger. … So this year we have Arden McWilliams, and each year after this we hope to move on to other local celebrities to participate.”

Created in 1993, the Ohio Dance Theatre is a ballet-based contemporary dance company that presents works with a strong theatrical element. Currently, the school provides a comprehensive dance curriculum that offers training in various disciplines, including ballet, pointe, jazz and modern dance. This pre-professional curriculum gives students the opportunity to develop the discipline and performance skills essential for a professional career in dance.

For Gula, dance and theater is her passion, with “The Nutcracker” production basically following the popular Russian version of the ballet and the memorable music of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Gula also said this show includes a few more comic elements and theatrics, which she feels makes it more appealing to children.

“I think the charm for young children is that the scene changes take place so rapidly,” Gula said.
When a show is kid-friendly, that means families can enjoy the production. This is why Gula said the Ohio Dance Theatre sets the bar high for its production of “The Nutcracker.”

“Our audiences are usually families,” Gula said. “It’s magical. I think that’s what any theatrical experience is about.”

Ohio Dance Theatre presents “The Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Lorain County Community College’s Stocker Arts Center, 1005 N. Abbe Road, Elyria. Tickets are $25 to $30 for adults, $25 to $20 for seniors and $16 to $17 for children younger 12. For more information, call (800) 995-5222 or visit www.lorainccc.edu/Stocker+Arts+Center.

Contact John Benson at ididhear@aol.com.

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