In 1994, a group of Melrose residents with a passion for the arts decided to bring the beloved ballet, The Nutcracker, to the North Shore. After a year of fundraising and forming a board of directors, they had raised enough money to pay for the beautiful costumes and scenery that make ballet productions so special. Since 1995, Melrose Youth Ballet (MYB) has made The Nutcracker an annual tradition. The production is staged annually at Melrose Memorial Hall and stars hundreds of dancers from 19 nearby communities and 33 different dance studios.
Through the years, MYB has been fortunate to have many talented Artistic Directors. Denise Cecere led the production in 1995, followed by Terry Fox in 1996, Tamlyn Bernhausen in 1997-1998, Jaclyn Cronsberg in 1999, Alfonso Figuera in 2000-2001, Katie Pesce in 2002-2004, and Jaclyn Cappozzi Demianiuk and Christina Leonard-Kristan as Associated Director in 2005-2015. Travers King and Andrea Fanikos have been co-Artistic Directing since 2017. MYB is proud of its many talented Artistic Directors and looks forward to continuing the tradition of The Nutcracker for many years to come.
MYB is a non-profit organization that is committed to giving dancers the opportunity to learn, grow, and celebrate the gift of dance. We encourage young dancers to fulfill their dreams and realize their potential by performing in a full-scale ballet production. Each show is cast through an audition, open to dancers of many ages and levels from dance schools throughout the Northeast.
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