by Grace Rushmer ’26
On Saturday, December 16th, The Kirby Center for the Creative Arts welcomed the Dance Theater of Wilkes-Barre to the stage for their annual production of the Nutcracker.
This traditional Christmas ballet demonstrates the magic of the holiday season as it follows Clara through her dreams of frolicking sweets and an array of dances that could be seen in many countries. The classical repertoire is performed by professionals and students alike, all throughout the world. This year, this production hosted many of Wyoming Seminary’s current students and alumni including Robert Zaloga ‘20 and Lucy Lew ‘24.
The studio’s Nutcracker and numerous other shows allow opportunities for young dancers as well as more advanced students to perform in front of an audience. “Having the opportunity to dance on the KCCA stage was such an incredible experience,” says Lew. Here at Sem, the performing arts department works incredibly hard behind the scenes of every performance.
With the help of Floyd Bussie, Wyoming Seminary Technical Director, the Nutcracker production was brought to life. “I am so thankful for all of the help we had here at Sem, especially from Mr. Bussie for all of his help with lighting and sound,” remarks Lew.
The arts are an extremely important part of life at Sem, and it is so amazing to see such a wonderful audience outcome coming to support this production. Putting on a dance show requires countless hours of rehearsals, costuming and logistical planning. The dedication and hard work of the staff and dancers at the Dance Theater of Wilkes-Barre didn’t go unnoticed. Dancing on the KCCA stage allowed this company to put on their production as well as demonstrate how important it is to celebrate the performing arts, especially during the holiday season.