Children’s Ballet of San Antonio’s Annual Production of ‘Nutcracker’ Plays Dec. 13 and 14
Looking for a way to delight your little ones and impress visiting guests this holiday season?
Take them to The Children’s Nutcracker, an enchanting, family-friendly adaptation of the classic Christmastime ballet. Presented on December 13 and 14 by the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, the region’s foremost institution for youth dance instruction, this dynamic production infuses the timeless elegance of The Nutcracker ballet with CBSA’s mission to create professional-grade performance opportunities for pint-sized prima ballerinas, supremely talented young adult dancers and inspiring special needs performers.
The 10th anniversary winter wonderland production takes place at the magnificent Lila Cockrell Theater, located amidst the famous San Antonio River Walk’s famed holiday light display. The 90-minute runtime ensures young audiences stay enthralled and inspired, while pre-show opportunities to visit Santa, shop at an onsite holiday market, and indulge in mouthwatering treats from the Kingdom of Sweets create the perfect atmosphere to kick off the holiday season!
Eagerly anticipated auditions draw hundreds of regional applicants hoping to secure a spot on San Antonio’s top stages and dance alongside world-renowned guest artists. This year, international ballet masters and principal artists Aliaksandra Krukava and Nurlan Kinerbayev, both experts in ballet’s acclaimed Vaganova method made famous by the likes of Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev, return to lend their expertise to the choreography and staging of The Children’s Nutcracker, as well as dancing the principal roles for the December 13 performance. These acclaimed dancers have performed leading roles in classical ballets for numerous companies throughout Europe and the United States, including the Russian National Ballet. Their presence on a San Antonio stage is truly a unique opportunity, made possible by CBSA.
The production is sure to satisfy audiences familiar with the 19th century tale of young Clara and her magical Nutcracker Prince, and dazzle those experiencing the cherished tradition for the first time. All the grandeur of Tchaikovsky’s original ballet score and the classic elements of The Nutcracker legacy are retained in The Children’s Nutcracker, while the energetic pace is designed to entrance younger audiences from start to finish.
Feel-Good Festivity
Presenting The Children’s Nutcracker at the Lila Cockrell theater, a 2,300-seat venue nestled in the shadow of Downtown San Antonio’s iconic Tower of the Americas and right alongside the equally alluring River Walk destination, allows visitors to plan a day of winter fun capped off with a performance. Mosey along the River Walk’s magical holiday light display and stop to play at Yanaguana Gardens, a year-round wonderland of outdoor amusements in nearby Hemisfair Park.
Holiday Magic at Hemisfair
Make sure to arrive early at the venue where a holiday market in the lobby will offer audiences the chance to purchase gifts like tutus, “magic” wands, play swords, ornaments, and, of course, nutcrackers. Famished families can treat themselves to sweet and savory delights from the Kingdom of Sweets and warm up with hot cocoa. Starstruck patrons can pose for pictures with Santa Claus and costumed cast members like the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Magic Meets Mastery
Since its founding 10 years ago, the Children’s Ballet of San Antonio has been on the vanguard of youth performing arts, combining a passion for diversity and accessibility with professional artistic standards to provide award-winning dance instruction (through its affiliated school, the Dance Center of San Antonio) and productions of the highest caliber that include roles for children as young as three years old and modified opportunities for performers of all abilities. CBSA performers and Dance Center students have studied with acclaimed Master Ballet Teachers and the most talented local choreographers, won numerous international awards, and accepted scholarships to prestigious ballet institutions like the Royal Ballet School in London, the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, and the School of American Ballet in New York City, to name a few.
CBSA Founder and Prima Ballerina Vanessa Bessler is a nine-time consecutive winner of Youth America Grand Prix’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year, an acknowledgment of her dedication to finding and cultivating young, local talent. The Dance Center was recently recognized as among the top 2.5 percent of ballet institutions in the nation. The resulting performances—which have expanded to include not just traditional ballet but multidisciplinary Broadway-style musicals, like this season’s nearly sold-out world premiere of The Polar Express: The Musical—are heartwarming in their inclusivity and jaw-dropping in their production value, aligning with Bessler’s belief that “the arts are for everyone.”
WHO: The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, the region’s leading independent dance company for children and young adults.
WHAT: The Children’s Nutcracker
WHEN: Fri, Dec 13, 7 PM & Sat, Dec 14, 3 PM
Note: Holiday Market and Photos with Santa and cast opens one hour prior to showtime.
WHERE: The Lila Cockrell Theatre, 200 E. Market Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
Visit Ticketmaster for ticketing information.
Photos courtesy Children’s Ballet of San Antonio.
