Houston Ballet Principal Yuriko Kajiya as the Sugar Plum Fairy & Connor Walsh as the Nutcracker Prince in Stanton Welch’s The Nutcracker.
Photo by Lawrence Elizabeth Knox (2021). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo Ballet is thrilled to announce that this year’s production of The Nutcracker will feature esteemed Houston Ballet Principal Dancers Yuriko Kajiya and Connor Walsh in the iconic roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. Three public performances presented by Fifth Third Bank take place on December 9 (2pm and 7pm) and 10 (2pm) and a student performance presented by Yark Automotive takes place on Friday, December 8 (10:30am).
Toledo Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is a long-standing holiday tradition that tells the magical story of a young girl, Clara, her Nutcracker Prince, and their adventures with toy soldiers, mice, dancing snowflakes, and a Sugar Plum Fairy in the dazzling Land of Sweets. First performed eighty-three years ago, Toledo Ballet’s Nutcracker holds the record of the longest running annual production in North America. The late Marie Bollinger-Vogt, Founder and Artistic Director Emerita of Toledo Ballet, procured parts of Tchaikovsky’s score from Russia to stage her first production. Toledo Ballet continues to honor her memory to this day with every Nutcracker performance. This production is the only one in Northwest Ohio and the vicinity performed with live music. TSO Music Director Alain Trudel conducts this years’ performances.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome these amazing dancers from Houston Ballet to Toledo Ballet,” says TAPA President and CEO Zak Vassar. “Having dancers of such high caliber join our production of The Nutcracker speaks to Eric’s commitment, leadership, and connections in the ballet world. Our Toledo Ballet dancers and our audiences are lucky to witness the extraordinary talents of Yuriko and Connor right here on our stage.”
Yuriko Kajiya, Houston Ballet Principal dancer and distinguished ballerina, will grace the Stranahan stage as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Joining her in the role of Cavalier will be Houston Ballet Principal dancer Connor Walsh renowned for his compelling stage presence. Together, Kajiya and Walsh will deliver breathtaking performances that will bring new poise to the stage.
Toledo Ballet Artistic Director Eric Otto expressed his excitement about welcoming these guest artists saying, "We are honored to present this cherished annual tradition to the Toledo community once again, and we are truly privileged to have Yuriko Kajiya and Connor Walsh join us. I have known Yuriko for over twenty years and danced with her at American Ballet Theatre. I am so excited that she and her partner are joining us this Nutcracker. Their phenomenal talent and artistry are the perfect complement to our Toledo Ballet dancers, and we know that this collaboration will result in a truly magical performance."
Sponsorship for Ms. Kajiya’s and Mr. Walsh’s appearance has been graciously provided in memory of John A. Gorun, John W. Davies, and Marie Bollinger Vogt.
Yuriko Kajiya was born in Aichi, Japan and at age ten, she moved to China to become one of the first foreign students to graduate with scholarship from the Shanghai Dance School. During her stay in China, Kajiya performed many times on Chinese national television.
In 1997, Kajiya won the Best Performance Award at the Tao Li Bei National Ballet Competition in China. In 1999, she became one of the youngest finalists at the 3rd International Ballet Competition in Nagoya. In January 2000, she won the renowned Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition which enabled her to study at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto with scholarship.
Kajiya joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in September 2001. She became an apprentice with the main company in 2002 and was promoted to corps de ballet in June. Kajiya was appointed a soloist in August 2007. Following the 2014 Metropolitan Opera House season in July, she joined Houston Ballet as a First Soloist. She was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer in November.
Kajiya received the Artistic Ambassador Award in 2012 from the government of Japan and in 2021, she was awarded the Education Award for the Fine Arts from Japan's Agency of Cultural Affairs for her guest performance in Le Corsaire and for her Hearts for Artists project during the pandemic in 2000.
Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Connor Walsh began his training at the age of seven under the direction of his mother Constance Walsh. He has trained at The Kirov Academy of Ballet, The Harid Conservatory, and Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, where he was awarded the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship and the Ben Stevenson Scholarship award. In 2004, Walsh joined Houston Ballet’s company as a member of the corps de ballet. He was quickly promoted to soloist in 2006 and then to principal dancer in 2007.
Walsh has originated principal roles in Stanton Welch’s The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Sylvia, Marie, and La Bayadare. He has danced major roles in numerous full-length ballets including John Cranko’s Onegin and The Taming of the Shrew, Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon and Mayerling, John Nuemier’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal Gardee, Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow, Ben Stevenson’s Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, and Dracula, David Bintley’s Aladdin and The Tempest, Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan, and Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake, Marie, Madame BuIerfly, La Sylphide, and Cinderella.
In recent years, Walsh has expanded his reach into teaching, coaching, and choreographing. In 2015, along with fellow Houston Ballet company members Oliver Halkowich and Melody Walsh, Walsh founded REACH - a choreographic project that raises money for arts education in schools. Following the success of REACH, Houston Ballet commissioned Walsh and his colleagues to create a work, What We Keep, and later a solo commission in 2022, A Joyous Trilogy (in Flight).
Tickets to The Nutcracker are on sale now at artstoledo.com/nutcracker or by calling the TAPA Box Office at 419.246.8000.
HOW TO ATTEND:
What: Toledo Ballet’s 83rd The Nutcracker presented by Fifth Third Bank
When: Saturday, December 9 at 2pm and 7pm; Sunday, December 10 at 2pm
Where: Stranahan Theater
Cost: Tickets starting at $25
More info: Visit artstoledo.com/nutcracker, stop by the TAPA Box Office located at 1838 Parkwood Avenue, or call 419.246.8000, Monday-Friday, 9-5pm
Please note: The student performance of The Nutcracker on Friday, December 8 at 10:30am is currently sold out. Groups can be added to the wait list by contacting Mickey Emch at memch@artstoledo.com.
###
ABOUT TOLEDO BALLET
Toledo Ballet is a pre-professional dance academy that inspires the passions and spirit of the Toledo community through dance. Under the new leadership of Eric Otto, Artistic Director and Head of Curriculum, Toledo Ballet provides high quality dance instruction and exceptional performance opportunities to over 250 students throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan annually.
Founded in 1939 by Marie Bollinger Vogt, Toledo Ballet continues to offer quality dance education spanning all ages and ability levels. Classes include ballet, contemporary, tap, tumbling, and Adaptive Dance, a unique class providing those with special needs an opportunity to learn to move in ways that come naturally to them. Acting, voice, musical theater, and conditioning (Chi Kung, Pilates) are also offered at the school. In addition, Toledo Ballet brings in world-renowned, professional dancers each year to lead its summer intensive programs, drawing students from across the region seeking to advance their skills.
Toledo Ballet students have competed at the national and international level, including the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), the world’s largest international student ballet competition, and many have pursued dance professionally at some of the most prestigious ballet institutions in the nation, including New York City Ballet, Chicago Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet.
In July 2022, Toledo Ballet named professional dancer, educator, and choreographer Eric Otto as Artistic Director.
ABOUT TOLEDO ALLIANCE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
On January 1, 2019, the Toledo Ballet and Toledo Symphony officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. Stemming from an 81-year partnership and annual presentation of The Nutcracker in Toledo, this merger is one of only a few in the nation and promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions.
