MetOpera Ballet Dancer to Star in The Nutcracker with FPAC Holiday Productions

FPAC Holiday Productions will kick off December with the holiday classic: The Nutcracker, presented December 7 and 8 at the Franklin High School Auditorium. Experience all the festive magic and colorful splendor of The Nutcracker as FPAC stages its cherished annual production of the holiday classic with live orchestra conducted by Austin Davy, special guest artists and more than 100 area dancers. The Nutcracker remains a highly anticipated and treasured part of the FPAC season - a popular holiday tradition for more than 20 years. The world-famous ballet, set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, delights the imaginations of audiences young and old with a professional production at a reasonable price.

Metropolitan Opera Ballet Dancer Paula Alvarez will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Alvarez, from Mexico City, started training at the Academia de Ballet San Angel Inn where she completed the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) syllabus with Distinction. Upon graduating high school, she moved to New York City to train at the Joffrey Ballet School under the direction of Era Jouravlev.

There she had the opportunity to perform leading roles in classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and The Nutcracker as well as Voices of Spring Pas de Deux by Fredrick Ashton.

She started her career as a Soloist at Menlowe Ballet in California where she danced for 3 seasons.

During quarantine, she got her CPYB teacher certification and has been working for Joffrey Ballet School as Master Faculty, choreographer and guest dancer, since September 2021. She danced for New York Theatre Ballet performing several soloist roles of The Nutcracker all over New York State. Paula’s story has been featured in major international newspapers. During the 2022-2023 season she joined the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center to be a part of the 2019 revival of La Traviata and she is excited to continue working with the MetOpera Ballet as part of their classical production of Turandot in 2024.

James Monroe Števko returns to FPAC Holiday Productions as The Cavalier, having previously danced the role in Franklin in 2021. He is a NYC-based dancer who started dancing at the late age of 18 and was dubbed a "Late Bloomer" by Dekalb's Daily Chronicle eventually leading to his principal acting debut in the award-winning Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish as Mendl. Previously, he has danced at: The

Metropolitan Opera, seven seasons at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Met Gala with Katy Perry, Milwaukee Ballet and City Ballet of San Diego. He teaches regularly and is a mentor to new graduates hoping to move to NYC in a new program, Off the Lane.

FPAC Holiday Productions are presented at the Franklin High School Auditorium. For tickets and more information, visit www.FPAConline.com or call the box office at 508-528-3370.