For 32 Decembers, the curtain has risen on Roanoke’s premier stage to the stirring strains of Tchaikovsky. For 32 Decembers, the bejeweled bodices and fanciful sets have set a magical mood for hundreds in the audience. For 32 Decembers, the region’s top dancers have commanded ovations for each of their performances.
Tickets are now on sale for the 33rd production of the award-winning Virginia’s Blue Ridge Holiday Tradition, Southwest Virginia Ballet’s “The Nutcracker’ at The Berglund Performing Arts Theatre.
Featuring a large cast of performers representing many area dance schools as well as adult community members who shine in roles from party parents to mischievous mice, Southwest Virginia Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is the largest and the longest running in the Roanoke region. It is also beloved by its community, receiving Platinum Awards in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 by The Roanoker magazine.
SVB’s Nutcracker features original choreography by artistic director Pedro Szalay, and performances by company members of Southwest Virginia Ballet, chorus members of Botetourt Music Academy as well as a special guest “artist” from the SPCA.
A ticketed VIP Experience is being offered before each of the two public performances. Audience members can take the stage with ballerina Clara, take a mini dance class with artistic director Szalay, see the secrets of how Mother Ginger is SO TALL, with a brief tour backstage to see what happens just prior to our LIVE performance. To participate, select the VIP Experience from the Berglund Center’s box office or online. Cost is $25. Availability is limited.
The world’s best-known ballet, “The Nutcracker” is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. It’s the story of a celebration of yore, where dolls come to life, Christmas trees magically grow, mice and soldiers battle, sweets from exotic lands surprise and the Sugar Plum fairy delights with her leaps and turns and intricate footwork.
Southwest Virginia Ballet, an award-winning, pre-professional dance company, is beginning its 34th year with four dozen company members, ages 10 to 18. Company members travel from Blacksburg, Botetourt County, and beyond, dancing together in a studio in the Roanoke Industrial Center each Saturday from August through May. Company membership, instruction and costumes are provided free of charge. Membership is based on demonstrated skill level and is open to all dancers without regard to gender, race, color or national origin.
The Nutcracker performances are:
- Friday, December 13, 2024 at 7pm
- Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 3pm
- Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 3pm
Berglund Center Box office – tickets@theberglundcenter.com
