This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For those of you eagerly awaiting San Francisco Ballet’s ONC (Opening Night Casting) announcement for Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker, the following dancers are being honored with 2011’s leading Opening Night ‘Nut’ roles:

Uncle Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli

The Nutcracker Prince: Gennadi Nedvigin

King & Queen of the Snow: Taras Domitro & Vanessa Zahorian

The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung

Grand Pas de Deux: Maria Kochetkova & Gennadi Nedvigin

Gennadi Nedvigin & Maria Kochetkova in Tomasson’s Nutcracker; Photo: Erik Tomasson

For complete Nutcracker Casting (the lead roles as far as the Artistic Staff has posted), go here. (Note: Until SFB fixes a glitch on their Casting page, you must click on “View All Casting” to see any of it; clicking on each date does not currently pull up the info.) 

To discover what Nutcracker season in ‘The Marina’ neighborhood near the Palace of Fine Arts means to the infamous ‘Pilot’ (and his dedicated co-pilot, the nearly-as-famous human companion otherwise known as  San Francisco Ballet Soloist Garen Scribner) go to the Chronicle feature here.

Courtney Elizabeth in front of the Conservatory of Flowers; Photo: Lea Suzuki -The Chronicle

Courtney Elizabeth in front of the Conservatory of Flowers; Photo: Lea Suzuki -The Chronicle

To read another Chronicle feature story about why Nutcracker’s ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ and the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park are so special to SFB Soloist Courtney Elizabeth, go here. 

Stay tuned for more of ‘Odette’s’ Nuttiness soon.

“See You at the Ballet!”