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A Nutcracker Debut

Courtesy of Kansas City Ballet
Photography by Steve Wilson
Courtesy of Kansas City Ballet

Earlier this year, the Kansas City Ballet School offered a weekly ballet class to twenty Latina girls at Gladstone and Primitivo Garcia elementary schools. And five of those girls were cast in this year's production of The Nutcracker, including 5th grader Christina Sayed who's a lead angel.

By Laura Spencer

Kansas City, MO – Each year, through its community outreach program called Reach Out and Dance, the Kansas City Ballet brings dance instruction to city elementary schools. It's viewed as a way to bring more diversity into classrooms at the Ballet's school, and to the stage, specifically for The Nutcracker. Earlier this year, the school offered a weekly ballet class to twenty Latina girls at Gladstone and Primitivo Garcia elementary schools. And five of those girls were cast in this year's production of The Nutcracker, including 5th grader Christina Sayed who's a lead angel. KCUR's Laura Spencer reports.

Laura Spencer is staff writer/editor at the Kansas City Public Library and a former arts reporter at KCUR.
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