Malawi Nutcracker tells the story of how Malawian Yami Matupa and American Leslie Berman started a small ballet school in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital in 2018. In 2019, the school presented THE NUTCRACKER in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. Dancing lead roles, 16 year old Tinyade Sharra fell in love with ballet. Her talent stood out. After winning scholarships to summer intensive programs in NYC and Philadelphia, she studied at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Dance is a big part of Malawian culture and one of Tinyade’s goals is to return home to teach and choreograph a new dance style that merges ballet with African dance and Hip-Hop.

Frances McElroy, Producer/Director, is a 2009 Pew Arts Fellow. Through the non-profit Shirley Road Productions, she has produced documentaries for PBS and non-profit organizations about homelessness, food insecurity, the homebound elderly, arts and culture. While subjects are often rooted in the Philadelphia region, they are of national and international relevance. Frances’s focus gives voice to the overlooked, raises questions about injustice and demonstrates the transformative power of art and place.