The Deal

• Saint Louis Ballet Presents The Nutcracker
• Where: Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at Touhill Performing Arts Center
• Seating: orchestra, parterre, or dress-circle section
• Door time: 30 minutes before showtime
• Ticket values include all fees.
• Click here to view the seating chart.<p>

Ticketing Options

• $39 for one ticket, valid December 21 or 22 (up to $57 value)
• $46 for one ticket and one postshow backstage tour, valid December 21 or 22 (up to $67 value)
• $31 for one ticket, valid December 26–29 (up to $57 value)
• $36 for one ticket and one postshow backstage tour, valid December 26–29 (up to $67 value)<p>

The value of this deal is based on regular ticket prices and doesn’t reflect child discounts.

The Nutcracker

Based on a novel by 19th-century romantic fabulist E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker weaves a magical tale of holiday adventure around one of the most recognizable scores in the ballet repertoire. It begins when young Clara receives a nutcracker from her godfather, a wizardly toymaker named Drosselmeyer. Sneaking downstairs to see the toy after everyone else has gone to bed, she suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of a pitched battle between the toys and an army of mice. After saving the nutcracker with a well-thrown shoe to the Mouse King’s head, Clara and her now-living prince venture into the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets to celebrate. Throughout their adventures, Tchaikovsky’s dazzling inventiveness propels the dances of nimble flowers, regal fairy queens, and seasonally confused vampires. The “Waltz of the Snowflakes” floats weightlessly above the angelic voices of a youth choir, whereas the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” tiptoes to the haunting, music-box chimes of a celesta. A medley of exotic national dances—including a Spanish bolero and Russian Trepak—add to the phantasmagoric celebration before the whole dream ends, as all dreams must.

Initially unpopular when it premiered in Russia, The Nutcracker languished for decades with a reputation as one of Tchaikovsky’s lesser works. In the Saint Louis Ballet’s rendition, the company’s 21 resident dancers join dozens of accompanying performers for an evening of holiday spectacle. Choreography and special effects envisioned by artistic director Gen Horiuchi change each year, giving guests a reason to go even if next year’s show has already been ruined by their time-traveling selves.

Saint Louis Ballet

There’s a lot of talent behind every Saint Louis Ballet performance. Foremost is the director, Gen Horiuchi, a former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. But while his experience steers the company through sweeping performances of Swan Lake and contemporary works from George Balanchine, the driving force comes from the 21 classically trained dancers who twirl beneath the spotlights. The competition to dance on their stage is fierce—each performer who steps foot there was hand-selected during a nationwide audition in which they showed off the perfection of their pirouettes and their willingness to dance to the death in a cage match. Having found success, the dancers share the potency of their dream with underserved youth, reaching out to 1,000 at-risk students annually.