The Nutcracker Ballet

Join us this holiday season and celebrate the Christmas spirit with Dance! To Your Heart's Delight's 19th annual production of the timeless ballet, The Nutcracker. It's not the holidays without the famous story, score, and cast of characters! This year we are so privileged to perform our classical rendition of this magical ballet to a live orchestra at the beautiful Downey Theatre in Downey on December 2 - 3, 2023, conducted by Maestro Branden Muresan with Contractor and Concert Master Jessica Haddy of the Southern California Philharmonic.

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Set to Tchaikovsky's timeless score, The Nutcracker Ballet tells the story of a girl named Clara whose adventure begins when she is given a toy Nutcracker as a Christmas gift from her mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer during the Stahlbahm's annual family Christmas Eve party. Uncle Drosselmeyer entertains the guests with live dancing dolls and his eccentric ways. Later that night, after the guests depart, Clara falls asleep and dreams of a grand adventure that begins with her Nutcracker coming to life and engaging in an epic battle between mice and toys, continues with her Nutcracker becoming a handsome prince, and comes to a climax with a magical journey to the Kingdom of Sweets to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy.

In the Kingdom of Sweets, the Sugar Plum Fairy honor's Clara with a celebration of dances. From near and far, marvelous characters come to entertain her with Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Chinese, Mirlitons and Waltz of the Flowers dances. When Clara thinks she has seen everything beautiful in the land, the Sugar Plum Fairy dances with her Cavalier. Soon the Land of Sweets begins to get hazy and Clara opens her eyes to find herself in her parents' house, wondering if it was all a dream.