GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Ballet's performance of "The Nutcracker" is returning for two weekends in December at DeVos Performance Hall.
It is put on by Michigan's only professional ballet company which is celebrating 50 years this year.
Grand Rapids Ballet’s (GRB) Company dancers will adorn the stage at DeVos Performance Hall with beautiful sets and beloved characters including Clara, Drosselmeyer, and more. Audiences will be captivated as the elegant Sugar Plum Fairy and her gallant Cavalier guide Clara through the Land of the Sweets. Along the way, menacing mice and brave soldiers engage in an epic Battle Scene, leading up to festive celebrations as Clara is mesmerized by a fantastic waltz.
GRB’s “The Nutcracker” was reimagined in 2014 by GR-native, Chris Van Allsburg, author of “The Polar Express,” and features set designs by Eugene Lee, a Tony Award®-winner for productions including “The Lion King” (1998), and “Wicked” (2004), among others. The production also features Tchaikovsky’s magical score, performed live by the Grand Rapids Symphony with vocals by Grand Valley State University’s Department of Music.
Grand Rapids Ballet’s Company dancers, consisting of professional dancers from across the globe, share the stage with more than 65 students from Grand Rapids Ballet School who all come together to perform captivating choreography by Val Caniparoli, one of America’s most renowned choreographers.
OPENING NIGHT: We’re speaking to performers ahead of tomorrow’s opening of #TheNutcracker put on by @GRapidsBallet
— Lauren Kummer (@LaurenKummerTV) December 8, 2022
Performers have been rehearsing since early fall to bring you this holiday show. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/mihXOI42xq
For an added experience, Grand Rapids Ballet is once again hosting a one-of-a-kind holiday celebration, made just for kids on Sunday, December 11. Clara’s Nutcracker Party is a joyous event where children can meet their favorite characters from “The Nutcracker” in a fun and festive fantasy land at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. This holiday experience includes a fun arts and crafts activity, tea and brunch, a reading of “The Nutcracker” tale, and a live performance by the Grand Rapids Ballet School.
“The Nutcracker” runs for two weekends with tickets available online, via phone at (616) 454-4771 ext. 110, or in-person at GRB’s Box Office.
