Madelyn Murray of Londonderry, will portray the lead role of Clara in the Sunday performance of New England Dance Ensemble’s (NEDE) professional production of The Nutcracker. Nov. 26 & 27 at the Seifert Performing Arts Center, Salem, NH.
Madelyn “Maddy” Murray is no stranger to the stage. And now, her upcoming appearance as Clara in NEDE production of ‘The Nutcracker’ casts her squarely in the spotlight. Madelyn has been dancing for over half of her life. She began her dance career at Melissa Hoffman Dance Center, and now focuses her study of ballet with Barbara Mullen at Londonderry Dance Academy (LDA).
Madelyn is a straight A high-honor student who currently balances a rigorous dance schedule with her studies and the responsibility of working as a student assistant for musicianship. Though her main instruments include oboe, violin, and clarinet, she also teaches and plays trombone, trumpet, clarinet, and percussion. A typical schedule sees Madelyn studying at school before turning attention to over 12 hours a week of dance classes at LDA (not including Nutcracker rehearsals). Since she has been with NEDE, Maddy has performed in 7 roles in NEDE’s Nutcracker including dancing the parts of Angel, Soldier, Reindeer, Russian, Harpist, Chinese Ribbon, and Party Child.
In the full-scale professional holiday production, aspiring dancers will be joined by guest artists from Philadelphia Ballet and Nashville Ballet. Sterling Baca – Principal Dancer with Philadelphia Ballet – will dance the role of Cavalier. Scarlett Güémez – company member with Philadelphia Ballet – will dance the role of Sugar Plum. Garritt McCabe – company member with Nashville Ballet – will be dance the role of Snow King and Arabian Prince. Accompaniment will be provided by The NH Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mark Latham.
For the past 3 years, Madelyn has taken Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) exams and has achieved gold and gold with distinction standards. In addition to LDA, Maddy has attended a music camp at SYMS to further her music education in oboe, violin, and clarinet. Madelyn hopes to one day attend a summer conservatory program for dance or music.
When asked why she loves dancing, Madelyn shares, “I love dancing because you can express yourself through movements that can tell a story. Additionally, I love the intensity of striving for perfection because I am a very type A personality and high achiever. There is always something that I can improve in dance. Of course, every girl dreams of one day being a ballerina and possibly landing a lead role in any show. Although I was surprised, I was ready to take on the challenge of the very difficult role of Clara. It is an honor that I don’t take lightly.”
Two performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 26 and 27 at 4 p.m., at the Seifert Performing Arts Center, Salem, NH. Tickets may be purchased online at www.nede.org or by calling 1-800-595-4TIX. Tickets on sale now.