READY FOR THE `NUTCRACKER'

Southeast Missourians and the Minnesota Ballet will take a look at each other for the first time during the performances of "Nutcracker" today through Sunday at Academic Auditorium.

These are the first Southeast Missouri performances ever by the Duluth-based company, which primarily tours regionally but has also performed in El Salvador.

The Minnesota Ballet has been performing the "Nutcracker" for more than 30 years, including performances in 1995 and 1996 in Columbia, Mo.

The company comes to Cape Girardeau from a series of "Nutcracker" performances in Duluth. They performed a new, fuller version of the ballet that wouldn't fit in many stages, says Allen Fields, the company's artistic director.

Because local teachers used a performance video to teach the choreography to the local dancers who will participate, the Minnesota Ballet will return to its standard version of "Nutcracker" for the Cape Girardeau performances.

The cast will include 65 local members, including some adults and two teen-agers who will alternate dancing the role of Clara. They are Tamara Ballinger of St. Charles and Amy Mangieri of Sikeston.

The Minnesota members of the troupe will include 11 professionals, nine pre-professionals and three young men from the ballet company's 200-member school.

The importance the Minnesota Ballet attaches to dance education is the reason it is one of the few companies that uses so many local young dancers on its tours, Fields said. "We tend to want to move into the community."

Fields, who became the company's artistic director in 1992, trained at the American Ballet Theater School in New York and danced through the U.S. and Central America, South America, Europe, Canada and Mexico. He has been associated with the Ohio Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, Ballet du Nord in France, Atlanta Ballet, Newport News Ballet and the Phoenix Ballet.

The performances are being sponsored as a fund-raiser by the Community Counseling Center Foundation.

A free performance of "Nutcracker" will be given to 1,200 school children this morning. Sponsors are the Downtown Merchants Association, the Cape Girardeau County Medical Auxiliary and Southeast Missouri State University.

Monica Waldon, co-chair of the event, said ticket sales have been good. The best seats still available are for the Sunday matinee and Friday evening performances, she said.

BALLET SCHEDULE

All performances are at Academic Auditorium on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Today

11:45 a.m. -- Free performance for area schools.

Friday

Opening night performance, 8 p.m.

Saturday

Noon-1:30 p.m. -- Mother Ginger Party at Celebrations restaurant includes appearances by ballet characters.

2 p.m. -- Matinee performance of `Nutcracker'

6-8 p.m. -- The Nutcracker Gala, a black-tie affair in the lobby of Academic Hall. Catered by Mollie's.

8 p.m. -- Evening performance of `Nutcracker'

Sunday

2 p.m. -- Closing performance of "Nutcracker" followed by a cast party with guests.