Anna Bates had a pretty good idea that she was onto something, back in the late 1980s, when she came up with the idea for Colorado Ballet to make money and broaden its fan base by establishing a program called the Nutcracker Sugarplums. It would involve the introduction of little girls – many of whom dreamed of becoming ballerinas – and kick off the company’s Nutcracker season.
She was right, because since its debut in 1990, 396 Sugarplums have been presented and $400,000 raised for Colorado Ballet. It has become so successful, in fact, that two auxiliary programs, Les Petits Fleurs and Esprit de Corps, have spun off to accommodate all of the children whose parents are eager to have them take part.
The 2005 Sugarplums were honored Dec. 2 at a dinner-dance held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel and then were introduced onstage Dec. 3 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, as the curtain went up on the season’s first performance of “The Nutcracker.”
This year’s honorees included Christianna Elizabeth Bowlen, daughter of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and his wife, Annabel; Jacqueline Melberg, whose mother, Janine, chaired the Sugarplum program this year; Alexis Caroline Hutchison, daughter of Jeannine and Heath Hutchison. Alexis’ sister, Haeley, was in the 2005 Les Petites Fleur class and her mom is the immediate past president of the Colorado Children’s Campaign Circle of Friends.
Holly Roberts Bolt is the daughter of Kim and James Bolt; Kim Bolt co-chaired the Sugarplum Ball, volunteers at Cherry Hills Village Elementary School and recently opened a tennis apparel shop at Greenwood Athletic Club. Bayley Gabrielle Shane’s parents, Valere Harris Shane and jeweler Tom Shane, have been involved with such local charities as Volunteers of America, Cancer League, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The Children’s Hospital.
Isabel Copley Burton’s mom, Anne, co-chaired one of the pre-ball activities, the mother-daughter tea; once a month, both mother and daughter cook and serve meals for residents at a local senior center. Grace Elizabeth Cunningham’s mother, Anne, who is involved with the Junior League, American Heart Association, the Lupus Foundation and D.A.R.E., was in charge of decorations for the ball.
McKinley Jennifer Mildred Hamilton is the daughter of Sarah and Jared Hamilton; Sarah spends five mornings a week at Denison Montessori, tutoring at-risk first-graders. Kathryn Murphy Kellogg’s sister, Haley, was a Sugarplum in 2001-2002 and her mother, Kim Kellogg, is chairing the program’s 15th anniversary activities.
Claire Margaret Stemper’s sister Kendall was a Sugarplum in 2002-03 and her mother, Monique, is involved with Girls, Inc., Friends of Families First and the Lenski School Parent Teacher Organization.
Other Sugarplums and their parents are: Martha Dickinson Baker, Kristin and Barrett Baker; Caroline Elizabeth Bryan, Nan and J. Timothy Bryan; Mariam S. Carson, Visda and Thomas Carson; Cassidy Sue Dines, Sunnie and Peter Dines; Kelsey Jo Dyce, Jodi and Jonathan Dyce; Paige Hansen Hartkoorn, Lynne Hansen Hartkoorn and Geary Hartkoorn; Nicole Christine Honnen, Katharine and Mark Honnen; Sydney Marie Johnson, Dr. Jessica and attorney Lee Johnson; Kate Louise Leeuwenburg, Ingher and Jay Leeuwenburg; Erika Grace Rasmussen, Nicole and Walter Rasmussen; Amanda Morgan Seale, Marcia and James Seale; Josephine Stroup, Dr. Camelia Bui and Scott Stroup; and Atlee Alexis Witt, Susan and Joseph Witt.
Ball guests also reminisced about Sugarplums past, including Laine Pacetti, who was presented in 1998 and is now a junior at Arapahoe High School. She placed first in the state in a recent DECA competition and is a varsity cheerleader whose squad qualified for the 2006 cheerleading nationals. Samantha Roseman (1997) is a sophomore at Cherry Creek High School while her sister, Carrie Ann (1992), is a University of Colorado graduate now working with Integrated Asset Services in the Denver Tech Center. Morgan Kelce (1995) is a senior at Cherry Creek and will be presented at the Summer Debutante Ball. Like her sister, Whitney, a Sugarplum in 1992, Morgan plans to attend the University of Kansas, where Whitney is a junior majoring in marketing. In February, Whitney will travel to France to study at the International School of Business. Mary Darnell (1991) graduated from Marquette University and is planning to attend medical school and Danielle Gonzales (1996) is a senior at St. Mary’s Academy, a nationally ranked swimmer and a state women’s golf champion. She’s also a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honors Society and will be presented at the 2006 Le Bal de Ballet.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jmdpost@aol.com.
