Featured Dancers

Emily Crumpler

Clara, Snow, Waltz

Emily has been dancing under the direction of Sharon McCormick for 12 years. She has danced in the Spring Recital for 10 years and has danced roles in The Nutcracker that include Mouse, Clara’s friend, Baker, Butterfly, and Intermediate Snow. She has auditioned for and been accepted to the Joffrey School New York, the American Ballet Theter (ABT), and the Pennsylvania Ballet (The Rock).

Emily is 15 years old and a sophomore at Rim of the World High School. She hopes to go to college to become a veterinarian and continue to dance throughout her life.

Max Cibelli

The Nutcracker (Battle Scene), Parent

Max is returning for his eighth season with LACBC in The Nutcracker. He has performed the roles of Toy Soldier and Mouse, and has graduated from 3 years of dancing the role of Fritz to his new role as the Nutcracker in the battle against the Mouse King. You will also see him (without the mask) as a Parent in the Party Scene.

Max has studied ballet at the Lake Arrowhead School of Dance for the past seven years and hopes to continue dancing through college. Max is 15 years old. He is taking tenth grade classes at the Grove School in Redlands. In addition to his academics, he interns with an orthopedic surgeon.

Max’s other interests include traveling and bio-medical engineering. He wishes to thank his family and his teachers for their continued support and encouragement.

Andrew Newman

Fritz, Mouse Commander

Andrew has been performing in The Nutcracker for five years. In the past he has had the roles of Fritz’s Friend, Toy Soldier, and Mouse. This year he performs in his second season as as Fritz and as the Mouse Commander. He says that dancing as Fritz is “fun, but hard work”. Andrew is a 6th grader at Lake Gregory Elementary. He is a skilled baseball player.

Cherilyn Cibelli

Frau Stahlbaum

Dr. Cherilyn Cibelli has been a long time mountain resident and has been dancing in the Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company with her favorite partner, Dr. Lud Cibelli, for the past four years. They join their son Max (the real dancer) who is dancing the role of the Battle Nutcracker and Chinese parent. Dr. Cherilyn has danced as a supernumerary with the Boston and Kirov Ballets in Swan Lake and with the Boston Ballet in Don Quixote with her friend, Fernando Bujones. Today, she is a child psychologist in San Bernardino and enjoys taking care of her rose garden.

Lud Cibelli

Herr Stahlbaum

Dr. Lud Cibelli has been a long time mountain resident and physician. Many of you were delivered by him and he says hello to all of his previous patients. Dr. C has danced previously with a famous down-the-hill ballet company as a towns-person in Coppelia at the California Theatre. Dr. C is head of the ER at San Gorgonio Hospital in Banning and dances and runs marathons for fun and fitness. He and his wife, Cherilyn, have danced with the Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company for the past four years.

Tom Zepko

Herr Drosselmeyer

Tom became involved with The Nutcracker as sound technician for the LACBC’s first full production in 1994. He joined the cast the following year and has been immersed in many aspects of the production ever since. On stage, he has most often been the Russian party guest, but has also taken a couple of turns as Herr Stahlbaum. This is his fifth season as Drosselmeyer.

Tom’s diverse skills include software engineering, website construction (including the ballet company site), photography, music editing, and driving a Zamboni ice resurfacer. He is now the facility manager at East West Ice Palace, an ice skating and fitness center complex in Artesia. He’s comfortable tackling a wide variety of construction and maintenance projects, but he often wishes his toolbox contained just a little bit of Drosselmeyer’s magic dust.