Laura Nelson has been dancing for the last 14 years. Training exclusively in ballet until 2021. She has spent the last 3 years participating on her high school drill team where she is currently Captain. This has given her the opportunity to experience many types of dance and compete in solo competitions where she received 1st Place Lyrical Soloist and 2A Overall Soloist in both her competitions. While Laura has loved these experiences, her passion has always been ballet. Last summer she was accepted and participated in the Utah Ballet Summer Intensive at the University of Utah. She has performed in many CCJB Ballets in principal roles such as Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden), Puck (A Midsummers Night’s Dream) and Swanhilda (Coppelia). Laura has participated in the Community Nutcracker as the Sugar Plum Fairy (2022) and The Dew Drop (2023). She has loved performing in the Community Nutcracker and is excited to be a part of the Production Team this year.
Autumn Gordon is a sophomore at Cedar City High School. Music has been a part of her life since she was 7 years old when she fell in love with the violin. She has since been a part of numerous orchestras in both Tooele and Cedar City. She also enjoys reading, singing and recently has been learning to play the piano. She is very creative and organized and has found herself making flyers and being the best go to helper for all things nutcracker.
Sabrina Gordon is currently a senior at Cedar High School as the Canyon View High School’s Dance Company Co. President. Sabrina is also a member of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) and the Utah Dance Education Organization (NDEO). She has been dancing for seven years, with a focus on ballet but has experience with styles such as contemporary, jazz, modern, ballroom, and hip hop. Sabrina has danced at many different studios including Tooele Valley Academy of Dance, Cedar City Junior Ballet, and West side studio in St. George. She has been a part of numerous ballets and has performed roles as the sugar plum fairy; from The Nutcracker, and the lilac fairy; from the ballet Sleeping Beauty. To improve her skills she has attended workshops and intensives. She was accepted, and recently attended the BYU ballet summer intensive. In September of 2023 her trio for the Utah Shakespeare festival won first in their division for choreography, as well as receiving a Superior at the Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival. Sabrina was also accepted into the 2024 summer Florence, Italy Study Abroad dance program. She loves to dance and share that love with others.
Maggie Smith has been dancing ballet for 11 years, 5 of those years on pointe. She has been a part of numerous ballets and performed as a soloist in CCJB’S The Sleeping Beauty. She was accepted, and attended the Ballet West 5 week summer intensive. She is the Coaches Assistant of the Canyon View Dance Company. Maggie is a member of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) and the Utah Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Maggie was also accepted into the 2024 summer Florence, Italy Study Abroad dance program.
Ava Knudsen has danced with the Canyon View Dance Company and Community Nutcracker for three years. She is the dance company’s current co-president and past assistant to the director. Ava started dancing at three years old and has studied all forms of dance, enjoying contemporary and hip-hop most. Ava is a member of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) and the Utah Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Ava was also accepted into the 2024 summer Florence, Italy Study Abroad dance program. Ava is a team captain of the Iron Giants Mountain Bike Team and prior Girls Riding Together (GRiT) ambassador. She has participated in Cedar High’s top women’s choir and played clarinet in the band. Ava is fluent in Spanish and is in the final year of the dual-immersion program. In her free time, she likes to create art and videos, explore music, and hang out with her cats and friends.
Keziah Chappell is a member of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) and the Utah Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Keziah was also accepted, and attended the 2024 summer Florence, Italy Study Abroad dance program. She is currently the Communications Executive for Canyon View Dance Company.