Two Fayette County residents, Tori Pontious and Hidy Kirkpatrick, will perform in one of central Ohio’s most beloved holiday tradition since 1974 — BalletMet’s The Nutcracker.
The production will once again be presented from Dec. 8-24 at the historic Ohio Theatre. Set to Tchaikovsky’s original score performed by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the ballet is choreographed by former BalletMet Artistic Director Gerard Charles.
“This is our 40th anniversary season at BalletMet and the one constant production we’ve brought every year to our fans has been The Nutcracker. We love the opportunity to perform in front of tens of thousands of central Ohioans each year with this beloved production,” said BalletMet Artistic Director Edwaard Liang. “It’s wonderful to have our professional company and our academy students working together to create this show for central Ohio.”
The tale of the imaginative Clara, the nutcracker who turns into a prince, the Mouse King and the Sugarplum Fairy, will feature a large cast including BalletMet’s professional dancers from both its companies – BalletMet and BalletMet 2, along with 152 students from the BalletMet Academy. Each performance will have more than 122 characters onstage – including academy students in the roles of pages, party children, mice, and soldiers performing alongside BalletMet’s renowned professionals.
“Approximately 27,000 people came to our performances last year, and we look forward to delighting even more patrons with our 40th anniversary Nutcracker performance this year,” said BalletMet Executive Director Sue Porter. “Attending The Nutcracker is a family holiday tradition here in central Ohio, and the cast and staff make the choreography, the costumes and the sets come alive to make it a truly magical experience.”
Dates and times for this year’s production are as follows:
Friday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m
Sunday, Dec. 24 at 2 p.m.
Ticket prices range from $29 to $93 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.) and online at ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.
Renowned for its versatility and innovative repertory, BalletMet ranks among the nation’s 20 largest ballet companies.
Since its inception in 1978, BalletMet has made the commission and performance of new works a core organizational priority, with more than 150 World Premieres and hundreds of Company Premieres performed throughout its history. BalletMet stages 60 to 70 performances each year at home and on tour. In the past, the company toured 28 U.S. states and internationally to Russia, Poland, Egypt, Spain and Canada.
