Canton Ballet’s annual Touchdowns and Tutus fundraiser Game Day Performance will take place at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall on the Pro Football Hall of Fame campus on March 9, 2019. Touchdowns and Tutus pairs area high school football players with Canton Ballet dancers in front of celebrity judges.
The 12 team couples are Natalie Schmitt, Lake Center Christian High School, and Terrance Mack, GlenOak High School; Hannah Dunnerstick, GlenOak, and Andrew Lamp, Massillon Washington; Marianna Jocas, Canton Country Day School, and Trenton Hill, McKinley; Emily Kuntz, GlenOak and Luke May, St. Thomas Aquinas;
Taylor Adams, Central Catholic, and Kyshad Mack, Massillon Washington; Mya Frank, St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School, and Maverick Pugh, Louisville; Margaret Kingsbury, GlenOak, and Camdon Givens, Minerva; Isabella Hellmann, Jackson, and Dylan Johnson, Central Catholic; Matalan Nikishin, Central Catholic, and Nakoa Keefer, Massillon Washington; Caroline Zollinger, Hoover, and Tyler Miller, Green; Mia Ignacio, Jackson Middle School, and Garrison Markins, Minerva; Tamaki Hoshi, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Nicholas Oldfield, Alliance.
Rehearsals begin early January at Canton Ballet studios and continue weekly up to the March performance.
Choreographers are Canton Ballet choreographer in residence Angelo Lemmo, alumna and Canton Ballet Jazz Company director Megan Seemann, area dance educator Leslie Yoder and Canton Ballet alumnae Ana Bettis, Brittani Harris, Anna Lescallett, Joy Raub and Tori Suba.
Rehearsal coaches are Canton Ballet alumnae Christy Donnelly and Menka Misheff.
Touchdowns and Tutus is the only known fundraiser performance event that pairs football players and dancers before celebrity judges. The duos’ performances will be preceded by behind the scenes interviews conducted by David Lee Morgan, Jr., award-winning sports journalist, author of Lebron James: Rise of a Star and Massillon Washington High School faculty, which will be shown at the event.
Canton Ballet alumna Ashley Bettis is founder and chair of Touchdowns and Tutus. Artistic and executive director of Canton Ballet is Cassandra Crowley.
For additional info and ticket purchase information visit cantonballet.com or call the ballet office at 330-455-7220. Proceeds will benefit the ballet’s scholarship and community outreach programs.
Canton Ballet is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization which receives support in part by ArtsinStark, Ohio Arts Council and The Canton Repository.
