The Deal
- $25 for far-left or far-right orchestra seating (up to $30 value)
- Click to view the seating chart
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 in the Kingdom of Sweets. The “Waltz of the Snowflakes” transports Clara and the Nutcracker to the Land of Sweets where they are greeted by the Sugarplum Fairy and 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.
Equally as enticing is American Ballet Theatre’s Kathryn Boren in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. In addition to training at ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, touring the world with ABT, and studying under Mikko Nissinen at the Boston Ballet for two years, Boren has danced in Swan Lake and portrayed the Lilac Fairy in Märchenballett. Both of these ballets have given her experience in the world of fantastical dance, an essential when taking on what’s arguably the most magical part in The Nutcracker.
Ballet Frontier of Texas
The philosophy of Ballet Frontier of Texas is as much about dancers as it is about patrons. The company is dedicated to fostering talent, making it their mission to provide training opportunities for young performers and holding open audiences for their full-scale productions. And those productions—which range from classical ballets to contemporary works—aim to inspire that same lifelong love of the arts in audiences and footlights with dreams.