The Mid-Columbia Ballet (MCB) is a nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to foster and advance the art of ballet in its various forms in the Mid-Columbia region. MCB is managed by a Board of Directors and the MCB Guild is responsible for managing volunteers and many fundraising activities.

The MCB consists of young dancers committed to the art of ballet. MCB’s repertoire includes classical, neoclassical, and modern works by choreographers from throughout the United States. MCB has been granted performance rights to several Balanchine works by the George Balanchine Trust and was the first pre-professional group to perform a work by Twyla Tharp.

MCB has performed at Chop Shop: Bodies of Work in Seattle, USA/International Ballet Competition, in Austria at the Tanzsommer Austrian Arts Festival and at SPRING TO DANCE in St. Louis, Missouri. MCB has hosted Regional Dance America/Pacific Festivals four times, each time bringing to the Tri-Cities over twenty amateur and professional ballet companies, internationally known dance teachers and lecturers, and university recruiters for the 4-day convention.

MCB has also grown to be a valuable community resource. MCB received the 2020 STAR award from the City of Richland for pivoting The Nutcracker to a free movie, Clara’s Tri-Cities Nutcracker Dream that had 14,000 YouTube views and featured over 30 local businesses and locations. In addition, MCB was selected as a grant recipient for Gesa’s Local Heroes program in 2020 and 2021 in recognition of the positive impact our outreach and educational efforts have had in our community. We are very honored to be recognized this way.

Welcome to Mid-Columbia Ballet's 49th annual presentation of the Nutcracker. We are delighted you have joined us for this magical holiday tradition!

MCB's mission is to foster and advance the art of ballet in its various forms through the presentation of dance performances and educational programs. Through dance education, we open windows to explore the world around us—from science and technology to literature, mathematics, history, and citizenship. Our students develop not only artistic skills but also gain lasting qualities of self-esteem, self-discipline, and respect for themselves and others.

Our commitment to accessible arts education takes many forms. We offer free sensory-friendly performances for each mainstage production and provide free adaptive dance classes for children with disabilities through our INCLUDE program. Our community partnerships bring ballet to life through Peter and the Wolf elementary school performances and our innovative collaboration with LIGO in The Science of Dance. These enriching programs are made possible through your ticket purchases, the generosity of individual and corporate donors, and the support of philanthropic foundations. We are deeply grateful for your role in making these opportunities possible.

Would you like to become part of our ballet family? There are many ways to make a difference — whether through donations that support our educational programs, volunteering at performances, or helping expand our community outreach. Every contribution helps us continue our mission of making dance accessible and inspiring for all. Visit our website at midcolumbiaballet.org to learn more about how you can get involved. Thank you for joining us for the Nutcracker!

Many thanks to our Backdrop Sponsors for helping provide new backdrops which we will use for many more years to provide performance opportunities for our dancers and to bring artistic excellence to our Community.

Jonathan Dickey

Chair, Board of Directors

Mid-Columbia Ballet

Our story begins on Christmas Eve as Dr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum are having their annual Christmas Eve celebration. Their children, Clara and Fritz, and their guests happily admire the treasures under the brightly decorated Christmas tree. As more guests arrive, presents are opened, and the excitement grows. Soon Clara’s godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, arrives. The mysterious Drosselmeyer gives a mouse doll to Fritz, and for Clara he has a very special gift, a lovely wooden doll - a Nutcracker. Fritz jealously chases Clara, teasing her with the mouse doll, causing Clara to trip and drop the Nutcracker. Drosselmeyer comes to her rescue and returns the Nutcracker to her. After the guests depart and everyone is asleep, Clara tiptoes back into the darkened living room to find her beloved Nutcracker. An army of huge rats and mice attack Clara. Drosselmeyer appears at the stroke of midnight as strange things begin to happen. The Nutcracker and the Christmas tree begin to grow, and life-sized rats and mice attack the toy soldiers while the Rat King and the Nutcracker battle. The horrible mice overpower the soldiers, and the evil Rat King seizes Clara. The noble Nutcracker has no choice but to surrender. The Rat King releases Clara and is about to deal the Nutcracker a fatal blow when Clara outsmarts the terrible villain! Drosselmeyer magically transports Clara to the Land of Snow where she is greeted by the Snow King and Queen. The journey continues into the Kingdom of Sweets. Trumpets sound, heralding the arrival of the Sugar Plum Fairy, her Cavalier, and sweets from around the world. Eventually the dream comes to an end as everyone gathers to bid Clara farewell.

First presented on December 17, 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the story of The Nutcracker is based on a tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, a musician and lawyer as well as one of the master novelists of the Romantic movement in Germany. The versions of Nutcracker performed today contain virtually none of the choreography by Lev Ivanov from the original production. What has survived is the immortal Tchaikovsky score based on a story scenario by Marius Petipa, adapted from the original Hoffmann tale.

MCB Staff

Rebecca Rogo, Allie Yates, Susan Presti, Debra Pearse Rogo, Joshua Burnham, Torrie Mower, Claire Thomas, Lily Wutzke

Artistic Director

Debra Pearse Rogo

Assistant Artistic Director

Joshua Burnham

Administrator

Gaye Wutzke

Junior Company Manager

Torrie Mower

Outreach Coordinator

Susan Presti

INCLUDE Director

Rebecca Rogo

Intermediate Company Manager

Claire Thomas

Social Media  & Wardrobe Supervisor

Allie Yates

Ballet Beanies

Lily Wutzke

Debra Pearse Rogo, Artistic Director

Debra grew up in Melbourne, Australia where she trained in the Cecchetti (Italian) Method of Ballet passing all exams, including her teaching certification, with Honors. She also received teaching and performing opportunities with the National Theatre and Ballet Victoria. After finishing her schooling, she performed with the Sydney City Ballet for three years before moving to the United States where she was the Assistant Director and then Artistic Director of Ballet Omaha, a professional company with its own school. In 1987, Debra and her husband, Joel, moved to Washington State to buy a small ballet school; the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet. After more than 35 years it is now the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet and Music and includes a Performing Arts Pre-School.

Debra is currently the Chairman of The Ballet Alliance, and has previously served as Chairman of Regional Dance America, on the Honorary Committee for the USA International Ballet Competition and as Executive Director of Regional Dance America’s Craft of Choreography Conference. Debra has been a guest teacher at many US schools and universities, the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda, the 2013 Australian Cecchetti Conference, the 2014 USA International Cecchetti Conference and the 2016 Cecchetti USA Summer School. In recognition of her work in the Tri-Cities, Ms. Rogo received the City of Richland 2014 Contribution to the Arts Award.

Joshua Burnham, Assistant Artistic Director

Josh started his dance training at the school of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, then moved to eastern Washington to train with Debra Pearse Rogo at the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet and perform with Mid-Columbia Ballet. Upon graduation, Josh was a trainee with San Francisco Ballet, then danced for six seasons with Cincinnati Ballet. He then settled in Virginia at Manassas Ballet, as a principal dancer and Ballet Master as well as a teacher in their school. Josh retired from the stage in the spring of 2024 and returned home to the Tri-Cities. In addition to his role as Assistant Director of MCB, he teaches all levels at MCB’s official school, Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet.