By Cris Franco
Argentina’s ballet superstar Herman Cornejo will dance the title role of The Nutcracker in two performances of American Ballet Theater’s holiday spectacular playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California from Friday, Dec. 10 through Sunday, Dec. 19.
Taking to the barre at the tender age of 8 at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, young Cornejo demonstrated a virtuosic gift for dance. At age 16, Cornejo was awarded the Gold Medal of the VIII International Dance Competition in Moscow in 1997, the youngest dancer to ever do so. Two years later he joined American Ballet Theater and by 2003 became a principal dancer performing the title roles in Apollo, Petrouchka, The Pied Piper, Prodigal Son and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Cornejo’s exquisite movement has him globetrotting, performing as a guest artist with the premier ballet companies of Italy, Korea, Japan, Russia, Spain and Cuba. Today Herman is counted among the art’s most illustrious talents who joyfully brings his trademark brilliance to The Nutcracker.
“This Nutcracker is cracking good!” raved the New York Post when American Ballet Theatre premiered this delectable holiday favorite. As the lights dim and Tchaikovsky’s lush score fills the air, young Clara enters a dreamlike journey amid magical toy soldiers, mischievous mice, sparkling snowflakes, a glittering Christmas tree and a dashing nutcracker (Cornejo) who comes to life! With an impressive cast of more than 100 performers, the Orange County Register praised it as a “… colorful, cinematic creation filled with spectacle, humor and eye-popping costumes.” For anyone out to start the holidays in grand style, this is the theatrical event of the season. Not to be missed.
So, walk, run, pirouette to see Herman Cornejo and a host of the world’s most celebrated dancers in American Ballet Theater’s spectacular The Nutcracker.
For show information click here.
Herman Cornejo in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Photo: Rosalie O’Connor/Courtesy of ABT)
