Dear Friends of CBT, Welcome to CBT’s presentation of The Nutcracker: Once Upon a Time in Greenville. After so many years in the business, I often get asked the question “Are you tired of the Nutcracker?” The answer is definitely not! There are so many aspects of The Nutcracker that fill me with excitement. First, the dancer’s faces when they start to learn their parts is magical. Secondly, I love the beautiful music. I listen to it daily and truly enjoy it. Lastly, each year gives me the chance to improve upon myself. How will I approach the production and what changes I will make provide a challenge that I look forward to every year. This year, that challenge was bigger than ever. Covid-19 put the entire CBT organization in new territory and everything was impacted. When we made the decision to move the production to the DAG Black Box Theatre, The Nutcracker became a brand new ballet. Of the qualities I have as an artistic director, what I credit myself with most is that I have managed to surround myself with very creative and talented people. Anita, my love and my associate artistic director, understands my concept of using ballet as a means of entertainment and also helps me with additional choreography. Our wardrobe team understands that costumes tell a story and every year they manage to go above and beyond. Professional dancers and students understand that dance without passion is unforgivable. We are storytellers, not just body movers. My light and production designer understands my vision and how the space for that vision needs to be presented. And last but not least, those who don’t dance, don’t choreograph, or don’t build costumes or scenery, are essential to making everything happen. Parent coordinators, fundraising efforts, CBT Guild members, CBT Board members and countless volunteers are what make the process flow seamlessly. Please take this production for what it really is, the effort of a group of talented and committed people who love to provide entertainment to others. This is the 20th anniversary of my first Nutcracker production. You may think it sad that I couldn’t have a celebration in a grand theatre, but I have loved every moment of this version and the challenge to recreate the ballet for this environment. I humbly thank you for being here tonight. Please be safe and we hope that soon this pandemic will be just a moment in history. In the meantime, enjoy the ballet! Hernan Justo Artistic Director The Nutcracker: Once Upon a Time In Greenville Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) The libretto is adapted from E.T.A Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Choreography and Story by Hernan Justo based on the original from Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov Additional Choreography by Anita Pacylowski-Justo Artistic Director Hernan Justo Associate Artistic Director Anita Pacylowski-Justo Ballet Répétiteur Erica Sturman Costumes Supervisor and Constructor Mary AllyeB Purtle Wardrobe and Make-up Lisa Larocque Nicole Cheves Director of Production Alex Forest Communication Coordinators Carissa Ivey Jenine Grunenwald Company Photographer Jerry Finley Individual Portrait Photographer Darien Lewanowski of Darien Marie Photography, Special Thanks Chris and Amy Drewer, Special Decoration Production Lisa Larocque, Scenery Assembly Marie Limnios and Redhype Team, Marketing Robert Sturycz, Scenery Production Artistic Leadership Hernan Justo was invited to become Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet Theatre by its founder Barbara Selvy in 2000. He has been involved in all aspects of the company: from teaching classes, coaching, teaching afterschool dance and out- reach classes to creating original works. His repertoire for the company is from classical to contemporary. Choreographing full length ballets such as Hunchback of Notre Dame to his Award winning choreography Pulling the Strings which toured internationally with the company. Hernan has also brought world renowned choreographers such as Alonzo King and Dwight Rhoden. His training came from the national ballet school of Buenos Aires, Argentina the Instituto Superior de Arte Teatro Colón. He joined the ballet Estable del Teatro Colón in 1982 and then Ballet del Teatro Argentino de la Plata two years later. In 1988, his career took him to the Ballet de Santiago, Chile. After three years, Hernan joined the Ballet Clási- co de Cámara in Caracas, Venezuela, under the direction of Nina Novak, formerly prima ballerina of Les Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Hernan arrived in the United States as a principal dancer with the Charlotte Ballet in 1994 under the artistic direction of the late Salvatore Aiello and later, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride and Jerri Kumery all artists affiliated with New York City Ballet. He added to his repertoire several Balanchine masterpieces for which he was critically acclaimed by Dance Magazine and The New York Times. Hernan and his wife, Anita Pacylowski, co-direct and teach at DanceArts Greenville. When Hernan is not at the studio you can find him watching soccer either on TV or his son on the field or en- joying a good movie, book or meal. Anita Pacylowski is a native of Columbia, MD. Her formal ballet training came from the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. She is a Princess Grace Award in Dance, National Young Arts Level 1 winner, and received the Presi- dential Scholar in the Arts in Dance award by the White House Commission in the Arts at the White House. She also was a finalist at the New York International Ballet Competition, and semi-finalist at the Prix de Lausanne competition in Lau- sanne, Switzerland. She’s been nominated for the coveted Benois de la Danse Award, “the Oscars” of the Ballet world. Her professional career started in The Washington Ballet under the direction of Mary Day. While there, her interna- tional touring was to Russia, Thailand, Singapore, France, England and Spain. Highlights include performing the Grand Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center for President Clinton and the First Lady, and performing at the White House Holiday Tea Party. She then moved to Charlotte Ballet as a principal dancer where she met her husband, Hernan Justo. After 7 years with that company she joined her husband as artistic leadership of Carolina Ballet Theatre. After nearly ten years with CBT and now a mother of two children, Anita retired in 2011. For the last twenty years, Anita is the co-artistic director of DanceArts Greenville. Anita serves on the Board of the Direc- tors of the Fine Arts Center and co-chairs the Parent Engagement committee. As a Presidential Scholar in Arts alumni, Anita served on the Presidential Scholar Alumni Association’s steering committee to build a network and platform for PSA dance alumnus. When not in the studio, you can find Anita at the Augusta Road Pure Barre, cheering on her son at soccer or watching her daughter at USC Dance company. Erica Sturman is a native of Springfield, Illinois, where she began dancing at the age of 3 under direction from Grace Na- navatti. She then joined the Springfield Ballet Company in 1999 under the direction of Julie Ratz and performed many leading and soloist roles including Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Odette in Swan Lake and Princess Flourine in The Sleeping Beauty. In 2005, Erica moved to Greenville, SC to start her professional training and career with Carolina Ballet Theatre under artistic direction from Hernan Justo. She has per- formed in many leading and soloist roles in both classical and contemporary ballets set by Hernan Justo and resident cho- reographer Francesca Genovese. These include Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara in The Nutcracker, Carabosse and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Ambrosia in Francesca Genovese’s The Ribbon, Eva Peron in Hernan Justo’s The Chestnut of your Eyes erased and the wife of a military soldier in He Never Came Back. Erica also had the extreme privilege of working with and performing Alonzo King’s “Map” and Dwight Roden’s “Beetlejuice”. Erica has been a dance instructor for the past 13 years and started teaching for DAG in 2007. After recently moving to North Carolina to work with Piedmont School of Music and Dance for 2 seasons, she is is beyond thrilled to be teaching back at DAG! Erica teaches all styles of dance but this season at DAG will be teaching ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and working with the DAYCO students!! When Erica is not in the studio, she is with her husband, Andrew, and her baby boy, Beckett, four months old. CBT Artists Martin Gonzalo Justo Bernardez is from Caracas, Venezuela, and began dancing in 1999. He trained with Quinte Ballet School in Canada and School of Carolina Ballet Theatre. He has toured throughout Uruguay with CBT and has recently traveled and performed as a guest in Fujinomia, Japan, dancing pas de deux from Giselle, La Bayadere, and Swan Lake. Some of his signature roles are the charming young Nutcracker Prince in Hernan Justo’s The Nutcracker, the Mad Scien- tist in Madeline Jazz’s Superheroes, and the male soloist in A Tango for Angelina. Martin performed works by renowned contemporary choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden’s Beatle Juice, and Alonzo King’s Map. Martin most recently was with Boulder Ballet for 2 years. Meghan Loman born in Springfield, Illinois and currently in her eighth year with Carolina Ballet Theater under director Hernan Justo. She began her training with Grace Luttrell Nanavati at Dance Arts Studio in Springfield and began perform- ing with the Springfield Ballet Company in 1999. She auditioned for the first year of their Trainee program at age 10 and later was accepted into the Company as a member performing soloist and then principal for over 10 years.