Salt Creek Ballet’s The Nutcracker

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The return of the family-affordable traditional Nutcracker!

Performance Schedule:
Friday, December 01 at 7:30pm
Saturday, December 02 at 1pm
Saturday, December 02 at 5pm

Salt Creek Ballet’s The Nutcracker marches back onto the North Shore Center stage with an affordable full-length holiday production performed in the grand tradition by a professional company with exceptional guest soloists! For a holiday production that first delighted audiences way back in 1892, Salt Creek Ballet’s The Nutcracker demonstrates how to make this historic ballet and holiday tradition just as accessible and relevant today. The Nutcracker is the perfect way to introduce young children to the power and beauty of classical dance. Tickets start at $28.

Salt Creek Ballet’s production produces a whimsical tale of young Clara and her magical journey with waltzing flowers, giant mice and sugar plum fairies, which are all exquisitely set to Tchaikovsky’s enchanting musical score. The production features amazing new sets, vibrant costumes and internationally recognized guest dancers. The production additionally boasts a cast of one hundred, including local children and young adults aged eight to seventeen from the school of the Salt Creek Ballet. The Chicago Sun-Times calls the production “…a solid, professional ‘Nutcracker’,” and Laura Molzahn of the Chicago Tribune calls Salt Creek Ballet “A real treat.” Salt Creek Ballet is artistically directed by Erica De La O, and Associate Ballet Director, Kristopher Wojtera.

In SALT CREEK BALLET’s Production of The Nutcracker:

• There are 125 costumes used during each production.
• The Christmas tree grows to a height of 58 feet.
• Over 50 pounds of dry ice are used for each performance to create the fog.
• The Mouse King’s tail is 10 feet long.
• Over 30 cubic feet of snow is used during each performance.
• Students in The Nutcracker come from 25 cities throughout Illinois.
• Mother Ginger’s skirt is over 8 feet wide.

The Nutcracker Fun Facts

• The Nutcracker celebrated its 125^th Anniversary in 2017 having first been performed on December 18^th, 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
• The first full-length performance of The Nutcracker in the United States was in 1944 by the San Francisco Opera Ballet.
• Composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky used the newly invented celesta as the instrument featured in the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
• In Germany, it is believed that a nutcracker brings protection and good luck, therefore it became a popular children’s gift during Christmas.