The holidays are a time of imagination and entertainment when we all get to embrace the joys and excitement of childhood. Besides busting out the holiday movies, catch a dance performance to put you in the holiday spirit. Throughout the area, there are Sugar Plum Fairies waiting to dance with you.
The Nutcracker Ballet is the world's most popular ballet and a time-honored holiday tradition. Whether it be your first time experiencing the dancing dolls, the Mouse King and the Nutcracker Prince himself or are a seasoned patron of the arts and are looking for some Christmas time nostalgia, here are a few places to check out The Nutcracker:
The Children's Ballet Theatre will be performing the Nutcracker with the award-winning direction and choreography of Gregory M. George in the Cobb Great Hall of MSU's Wharton Center for Performing Arts. The show runs Nov. 27 - 29 with tickets ranging from $10-22.
Also in East Lansing, the young dancers of Greater Lansing Ballet Company will celebrate their 10th Anniversary of performing The Nutcracker under the guidance of internationally renowned choreographer and Founding Artistic Director Barbara Banasikowski Smith at MSU's historic Fairchild Theatre. Smith is enthusiastic about special guest performers Dorothy O'Shea Overbey and John-Mark Owens of the New York Ballet. "They're role models for our dancers and they see them perfecting not only their steps and their movements but also working on their character, because they have to be good actresses and actors as they perform a ballet story. Truly inspiring." said Smith.
The performance can be seen Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults; senior, student prices are $18 and children under 12 are $12.
Another performance that shouldn't be missed is one put on by The Midland Center for the Arts. It will be hosting the Grand Rapids Ballet Company with music played by the Midland Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. Kristen Wuerfel, marketing manager of The Midland Center for the Arts believes this Nutcracker performance is unique because they're "bringing in the only professional ballet company in Michigan to perform and pairing it with our professional orchestra. Tickets are selling extremely fast, because it'll be a great show and put everyone in the mood for the holidays."
Tickets range between $11 - $35, student discounts and family discounts are available.
