Charlotte Ballet’s annual production of Nutcracker is the Queen City’s most beloved holiday tradition, and it returns Dec. 4 and runs through Dec. 23 at the Belk Theater.
The show: Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, performed live by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, sings as Clara is whisked away by a mysterious nutcracker to the dazzling Land of Sweets. The classical ballet is filled with dazzling dance and brimming with holiday joy. The holidays just don’t seem the same without Nutcracker!
The history: Kati Hanlon Mayo, a former Charlotte Ballet company dancer and now associate director of the upper school at Charlotte Ballet Academy, remembers the show’s 1992 debut. The company had arrived in Charlotte a few years earlier, but the Ballet School was still taking shape. Together, the artistic staff, company dancer, and community ballet students envisioned Nutcracker becoming a hallmark Charlotte holiday tradition.
- That first year, she recalls performing Sugar Plum at the SouthPark Christmas tree lighting on Thanksgiving Day. And for several years, company members also promoted the show during Hornets halftime events.
- “I still remember meeting Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Mourning as we walked onto the court for one of our appearances,” Kati tells Scoop.
Fun facts:
- This year’s production features 29 Charlotte Ballet Company dancers, 29 Pre-Professional trainees and 126 students from Charlotte Ballet Academy for a total of 184 cast members!
- The production requires more than 400 costume pieces.
- Each dancer goes through about seven pairs of pointe shoes during the run of Nutcracker.
The details: Tickets start at $35, so bringing the whole family is easy.
The VIP experience: Make a night of it with free parking, a free drink, a free item from the Nutcracker boutique gift shop, light snacks and a photo opportunity with a costumed dancer. It’s $85 per person (ticket not included)—a decrease from last year.
- The VIP experience is offered at select performances only: 12/4 evening; 12/13 matinee; 12/19 matinee; 12/22 matinee; and 12/23 matinee.
Get your tickets: Buy your family’s tickets at charlotteballet.org and start some new Nutcracker memories of your own.
