When the Minnesota Ballet celebrates the 10th anniversary of its production of "The Nutcracker," at the DECC Auditorium, the cast will include a Cloquet-area student training at the School of the Minnesota Ballet. Performances are 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, and Saturday, Dec. 15; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. The Festival Orchestra, sponsored by UMD, will play the Tchaikovsky score live.
Emma Waugh, a third-grader at Churchill Elementary School, will appear in the opening scene on Saturday evening.
"The Nutcracker" tells the century-old story of Marie, a little girl who at a holiday party receives a nutcracker. In a dream later that night, the Nutcracker and his soldiers fight a battle against the Mouse King and his warriors. When the battle grows desperate, Marie intervenes to save the Nutcracker, who turns into a prince. Together Marie and the Prince visit magical lands of snow, delights, and beautiful dance from around the world.
The production is presented by Inter City Oil and funded by an original major grant by SMDC and a grant by the Duluth-Superior Area Community Foundation. Tickets are $20-$42 for adults; $15-$32 for students; $13-$27 for children (12 and under) and may be purchased at the DECC ticket office, Younkers at Miller Hill Mall, all Ticketmaster outlets, and on-line at ticketmaster.com.
For more information visit www.minnesotaballet.org; to arrange for special-rate tickets for groups as small as 10, call the Ballet, (218) 529-3742.
