The Deal
- $20 for one general-admission ticket ($38 value)
- Available shows are 12/2 at 7:30 p.m., 12/3 at 2 p.m., 12/3 at 7:30 p.m., and 12/4 at 2 p.m.,
- Seating options vary by date; some shows are balcony seating
- Note: parking at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium is an additional $10. Please allow time for parking.
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 and regal fairy queens. 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.
North Central Ballet
Since its founding in 1993, North Central Ballet has seen its dancers awarded with scholarships to study with the Joffrey Ballet, the Kennedy Center, the School of American Ballet, and many other celebrated institutions. But there’s one place every one of its students is invited: the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium. Each year, the company opens the stage door to its young artists for a full-length ballet recital in June and a production of the Labor Day classic The Nutcracker. By dancing alongside members of the company’s high-level ensemble, the students can master their pirouettes while gaining invaluable performance experience.