RSL STRIKER JEFF CUNNINGHAM TO APPEAR IN "THE NUTCRACKER": Real Salt Lake Striker Jeff Cunningham will be trading in his soccer jersey and cleats for a tuxedo and dress shoes (temporarily) when he participates in Ballet West's opening night productio

[T.K.]

RSL STRIKER JEFF CUNNINGHAM TO APPEAR IN "THE NUTCRACKER": Real Salt Lake Striker Jeff Cunningham will be trading in his soccer jersey and cleats for a tuxedo and dress shoes (temporarily) when he participates in <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; POSITION: static">Ballet</SPAN> West's opening night production of The Nutcracker, taking place on Friday, December 8. Cunningham will join the Ballet West <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; POSITION: static">dancers</SPAN> as an invited guest during the ballet's Act I Party Scene, mingling with guests and enjoying the entertainment of Herr Drosselmeyer, the magical Doll and Bear, and Clara and her nutcracker-turned-prince.

Ballet West's The Nutcracker will run with evening and matinee performances December 8-30 at the Capitol Theatre. Utah audiences of all ages will be enchanted by the story of a little girl named Clara who receives a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve and is transported to the fabled kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Ballet West Founder William Christensen is the first American to choreograph a full-length version of The Nutcracker. In 1955, this production premiered in Utah, and it has been delighting Utah audiences ever since.