Marshall Miles Interviews-Victoria Mazzarelli: The Nutmeg Ballet's Nutcracker at The Warner Theatre December 10 Thru December 18

The Nutmeg Ballet's Nutcracker is a staple of the holiday season in Connecticut, beloved as a tradition for countless families.

Under the direction of Victoria Mazzarelli, this iconic story set to the masterful music of Tchaikovsky ignites the imaginations of children and adults alike.on stage at The Warner Theatre, located in Torrington, Connecticut.

Victoria Mazzarelli was trained by the Nutmeg faculty for 14 years and with Ms. Dante as her coach, was awarded the only gold medal at the 1984 New York International Ballet Competition at the age of seventeen. Invited to join the Basel Ballet in Switzerland under the direction of Heinz Spoerli, she was quickly promoted to principal dancer. Ms. Mazzarelli not only had the opportunity to dance leading roles in much of the company’s classical repertoire, but also in works by distinguished choreographers such as Hans van Manen, Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe. Ms. Mazzarelli’s contact with Forsythe led her to join the Frankfurt Ballet in 1990 where she remained as a principal dancer until1996. During that time, she toured extensively and had the opportunity to work with Alonzo King, Ohad Naharin, Jan Fabre, and Saburo Teshigawara.

In 1996, she returned to Switzerland to join the Zurich Ballet as principal dancer. In the summer of 2000, Ms. Mazzarelli continued dancing as a guest artist with the Frankfurt Ballet and the Schauspielhaus Zurich and in 2001, she returned to Basel to join the newly formed Basel Ballet under the direction of Richard Wherlock.

Victoria Mazzarelli returned to Connecticut in 2003 to join the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts as Associate Artistic Director where she currently teaches, coaches and choreographs for the next generation of dancers. Appointed as the Conservatory’s Artistic Director in 2011, Ms. Mazzarelli continues in this role to date and also serves as guest teacher for MOMIX and enjoys performing various engagements as guest artist.