Free complimentary copy December 11, 2015 • Volume 3, No. 7
By Kris Collins
www.raytowneagle.com • 50¢
Raytowner to appear in KC Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’
Those who get a chance to see Kansas City Ballet Art Director Devon Carney’s production of “The Nutcracker” this season may see a familiar face on stage, that of 10-year-old Sophia Mock, daughter
of Raytown Alderman Steve Mock and Carla Mock. Those behind the production have kept tight lipped about details surrounding the all-new production; so much so that Sophia’s parents knew little about her role in the Christmas classic or what
Photo courtesy of Steve and Carla Mock Raytowner Sophia Mock, daughter of Alderman Steve Mock and Carla Mock, is in the Kansas City Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” playing the part of a Polichinelle.
By Kris Collins
her costume looks like before the production run began Dec. 5. Carla Mock sums up the experience in one word: incredible. “I’m very proud of her. It’s been a lot of hard work — on her and on the family, as well. It’s a continuous stream of driving downtown,” Carla Mock said this past week. Sophia, who plays one of the Polichinelle, the little children of clowns who emerge from Mother Ginger’s large hoop skirt to dance, has been dancing since she was 3 years old, starting out at Raytown’s Dancin’ to Wynn School of Dance. “She switched to the KC Ballet Dance School because she wanted to focus more on ballet performance rather than competition,” Steve Mock said. “She’s very focused for a 10-year-old.” She’s one of the 212 students selected from the Kansas City School of Ballet to be in the production. Steve Mock said there are two other dancers from Raytown, but
he doesn’t know their names. The Eagle couldn’t verify by press time. “It’s so well run; it’s such a production,” Carla Mock said. “It’s a professional production — everything from backstage to rehearsals. We’ve had a great experience and it’s good for her (Sophia) because it gives her an idea of what it’s like to be on the big stage.” The show runs from Dec. 5 through Christmas Eve at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. “This all-new production is an enormous undertaking,” Carney said. “The design team we’ve assembled is one of the best in the country. We have been working on every detail of this production for more than a year. There are no less than four studios building sets and 27 costume studios working on this production from all over the United States, including Kansas City. The sheer artistry, the level of detail on every design element, will absolute-
ly astound audiences. I can’t wait for the curtain to go up on opening night. My goal is to leave audiences absolutely amazed and fully-immersed in this magical experience.” The Kansas City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is one of the region’s most successful presentations, according to Director Jeffrey J. Bentley. “The annual production of our Nutcracker is certainly the single most popular event of the year,” he said. “It constitutes well over 60 percent of our total annual ticket revenue and draws in excess of 35,000 people to the Kauffman Center. These are just a couple of the reasons we have chosen to invest over $2 million dollars to insure this completely new production of this great classic remains fresh and continues to meet the high audience expectations that have been developed over the years.
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Photo courtesy of Kansas City Ballet Company Dancer Charles Martin in a fitting for The Nutcracker costume.
As winter demand increases, so do donations
The winter typically evokes a greater need for social assistance. Fortunately for Raytown Emergency Assistance Program, a local nonprofit that operates food pantry and offers utility bill assistance, the community often meets the increased demand for food in the season of giving. “We do see an influx of gas bills right around this time – December, January – as it gets colder,” said Holly Grimwood, executive director of Raytown Emergency Assistance Program, commonly called REAP. “This winter has been pretty mild so far so we’re actually not seeing a lot of gas bills right now. “Thankfully, this time of year we also see an influx of donations because it’s the time of year when everyone remembers to give and we always try to encourage people to keep that giving spirit through the holiday season and remember that come March or April when it’s not as fun to donate when you’re
not wearing the Santa hat or hearing the ringing bells on the sidewalks.” Grimwood said, in addition to higher gas or electric bills from heating homes, families may also need a greater food supply while children, normally afforded free or reduced lunches through the schools, are at home for meals during winter break. “With all of those combined, it makes it tough to give enough food to everyone in the household,” Grimwood said. “Thankfully, we have a very supportive community that helps do that.” However, REAP’s most expensive months of the year and the ones in which most services are rendered come at the end of the seasons. Grimwood said, for example, many utility shut-off notices will come to REAP in March because outstanding bills pile up during the winter. Apart from the basic necessities, REAP also makes an effort to make holidays special for its clients. This
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Photo by Kris Collins Hundreds of gifts pile up in a storage room at Raytown Emergency Assistance Program ahead of the opening of the organizations Christmas store, in which qualifying individuals may pick up gifts for children at no cost.
year, 500 children will have been happy on Christmas morning through REAP’s Christmas store, though nobody will pay a cent for gifts. This week volunteers were organizing and
stacking a seemingly endless pile of gifts for children that had compiled at the nonprofit’s office. REAP is also hosting a silent auction and a raffle to help fund
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their social assistance efforts. More information on REAP, its services, donating and the Christmas store may found at www.RaytownREAP.org.
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