Bringing various performers together to produce the Nutcracker Ballet is only one aspect of The Community Nutcracker’s mission. Our primary focus is to spread Christmas cheer throughout our community, especially reaching those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience a full-length ballet.
Since its inception in 2022, The Community Nutcracker has evolved into a cherished holiday tradition in Cedar City. With over 200 local performers, this artistic masterpiece embodies the spirit of giving during the holiday season, while uniting the community in a whimsical and imaginative celebration of elegant dance and storytelling.
Join us in the magic and support the arts and local talent of Iron County, as they express their passion for performance and share it with others. By attending our performance, you will discover that the power of the Nutcracker is not just a fairytale of love, loyalty, and courage; it is also a testament to the dedication and hard work of our company, which shines brightly on stage, fostering a sense of community and togetherness during the holidays.
Jennie Grimes is a dedicated dance educator, performer, and mother of five. She is currently the dance teacher at Canyon View High School (CVHS) where her dance program is a chapter school for National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA). She also serves as a board member for the Cedar Valley Community Theatre (CVCT) and the Utah Dance Education Organization (UDEO). Jennie is the high school representative for the Florence Dance study abroad program in Florence, Italy with the AlambradoDanza company.
Jennie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Performance and Education with a minor in Theatre from Southern Utah University (SUU), where she later became an adjunct professor. At SUU, she received training from renowned instructors such as Kay Anderson, Gwen Grimes, Shauna Mendini, and Lise Mills. She was selected to perform works by José Limón under the direction of Risa Steinberg from Juilliard, as well as pieces from the American Folk Ballet founded by Burch Mann.
Throughout her career, Jennie has trained under legendary artists in various dance styles and competitive gymnastics and has performed with several prestigious companies, including Arabesque Ballet Company, Ballet Repertory Dance Company, Eagle Dancers, Orchesis Modern Company, Junior Jazz Dancers, and AlambradoDanza in Florence, Italy, where she also worked as a choreographer. She has been a principal dancer for St. George Dance Company and Cedar City Junior Ballet.
In 2023, Jennie was nominated for the Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the field. She is passionate about teaching, performing, and sharing the art of dance with others.
Bethany Campbell’s love of dance started at age three, when she first started ballet at Hosanna Dance in Eugene OR. She grew as a dancer and got her first pair of pointe shoes at age 10. Since then she has continued to dance ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, and lyrical. Bethany was on a competitive dance team in high school and loved it, but missed ballet. She took ballet classes at the University of Oregon and danced at Unity school of dance. She finished her last performance with Unity in 2014, before moving to San Diego CA, where she married her husband. While living in San Diego she was able to continue training in ballet. After becoming a mother to her beautiful children and moving again to Cincinnati OH., finding the time to dance was difficult. Now that she is in Cedar City, she has found an incredible dance community that she absolutely loves. This is her second year being a part of the Community Nutcracker and she is so happy to once again be a part of the most wonderful time of year.
Stephanie Gordon is the mother of six children and is married to her best friend Benjamin. She has one awesome son and five amazing girls. They are her most favorite people in the world. The family moved to Cedar City a couple of years ago and Cedar Canyon has become their favorite place to camp, fish and hike. She loves to help others and because her girls love music and dancing she became a helper to assist in bringing the magic of the nutcracker to life.
Jami Lyn Niles has 3 children & has been married to her sweetheart, Jason, for 20 years. She danced with Cache Valley Ballet Co. when she was young. When she moved to Cedar City, she had the opportunity to dance with Cedar City Jr. Ballet in their inaugural year. She paid tuition by sewing costumes for the company and eventually had the amazing opportunity to work under Lise Mills who was her mentor for the next 18 years. She also helps do costuming for other local dance companies. Her children all danced ballet at one point, even her son! She loves watching them perform. She loves to sew and create beautiful costumes.
Kristena Hunsaker was raised on a farm in Price Utah with three older brothers. She found every opportunity to dance, including at the store. She danced with various studios and the Dino Dynamics drill team. Kristena performed en pointe at Capitol Theater at the Miss Utah pageant as the reigning Miss Carbon County. She later directed the scholarship pageant for three years where she started the Mini, Little, and Junior Miss pageant. Kristena has her Bachelor’s degree and is a registered nurse in the ER at Cedar City Hospital. She participated in a dreams come true program at an assisted living facility by teaching a resident ballet and holding a showcase for her.
She fell in love with the Nutcracker through Carolyn Gwither and the CEU Repertory Ensemble, where she was only in junior high but danced with college students. She played her dream roles of Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy. She has taught ballet for 15 years and currently teaches at Dance Magic. She wrote and directed her own production of the Polar Express, assisted in starting and choreographing the Castle Valley Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker, and is honored to share her love of ballet through the Community Nutcracker. This year marks her 10th Nutcracker.
Kristena loves teaching young dancers and making ballet more imaginative. She is a mom of three amazing girls (Mckinley, Brielle, and Melody) and loves sharing dance with them and performing as a family in the Nutcracker. She is grateful for her husband Regan, his support of her dreams and willingness to help. Dance has allowed her to see more beauty in the world and grow a dance family/community.
Endrica Hardwick has been in the dance and entertainment industry since the age of three. She has studied many styles of dance; ballet, flamenco, Mexican folklorico and Salsa. Dance has opened doors for her to perform in the musicals Oklahoma and West Side Story, as well as the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Gisselle and Sleeping Beauty ballets. As a young adult, she became a professional flamenco dancer and was a company dancer for the Rio Grande Valley Ballet, performing in a variety of venues. She was selected to dance with the Jazzy Dance Company semi-pro team, performing in local and national salsa performances. Endrica has performed with several dance teams; Collective Essence, Con Sabor Ladies Edition, Timba Tumbao Ladies, Timba Tumbao Couples and Dos Y Seis Salseras. Performing at events such as Dance to Breathe, Houston Salsa Congress, BIG Salsa Festival San Antonio, Dallas Salsa Congress, Texas Salsa Congress, Las Vegas Super Congress.
She continues to dance as a student and performer with Cedar City Junior Ballet and has performed with Cedar City’s Community Nutcracker Ballet since its inception. Endrica’s love and desire to continue to dance led her to study ballroom dancing and fall in love with Salsa. Endrica was a Salsa instructor and a choreographer for Dance international. During her summers, she volunteers at Henry’s Place Summer Camp by providing dance classes to underprivileged youth
Endrica obtained a BA in English Literature and an MS in Software Engineering in Austin Texas. She is the founder and CEO of Cedar City Salsa Dance. She has taught at several dance studios including SUU and Utah Tech. Endrica is a life-time learner and always growing. She has a big heart to give back and share her joy for dance with others whether it is through teaching a class or performing.