My daughter and I’s annual holiday tradition of attending The Nutcracker is something we both treasure. If this holiday season is like most, I’ll be last-minute gift shopping; however, I’ll have our Nutcracker tickets purchased and a little pre-performance party planned in advance. Spending quality time with the ones I love is my “love language.” When that quality time involves music, beauty, a dressy outfit, and delicious food? I’m as joyful and festive as I can be.
We started attending the Nutcracker when my oldest daughter was three. Every year, we do some variety of the following:
- We read the story.
- We buy something special to wear.
- We listen to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker music while we bake something yummy.
- We invite friends over for hot chocolate and sweets.
The first time I saw the Nutcracker, while I loved the music and thought it festive and beautiful, I was a little confused by the story line, I have to admit. Reading the story helped us to enjoy the ballet more, because we understood the big picture going into it. As a three-year-old, my daughter was spooked by the Rat King. Reading the story beforehand helped, because she knew the Nutcracker Prince would ultimately beat the big ugly rat. There are several nice children’s picture books that tell the story. We like this one.
The Land of Sweets is great inspiration for those who love to bake, as I do. Hot (Spanish) Chocolate is a pre-performance must. We’ve made homemade sugar plums, in honor of the Sugar Plum Fairy. We’ve baked candy cane cookies in honor of the Russian candy cane acrobats (my favorite!) This year I’m thinking we’ll do something with ginger for Mother Ginger and her children. Going out for a special tea party is another fun option.
Below is a list of 2013 Nutcracker performances around the metroplex.
There are at least seventeen that I know of. To keep it simple, I’ve listed them by date and location, with links to the performing companies for more info. ‘Tis not the season yet…but ’twill be before you know it! Put a date on the calendar now and treat you and your little sweeties to this fun, festive tradition.
Nov. 15-17
SMU McFarlin Auditorium
Dallas
Nov. 22-23
Will Rogers Auditorium
Fort Worth
Nov. 29- Dec. 1
Eisemann Center
Richardson
Nov. 30- Dec. 1
Marcus High School
Flower Mound
Nov. 29- Dec. 8
Winspear Opera House
Dallas
Nov. 29-Dec. 22
Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts
Dallas
Dec. 6-8
Granville Arts Center
Garland
Dec. 7-8
Irving Arts Center
Irving
Dec. 7-8
Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
Fort Worth
Dec. 7-8
Eisemann Center
Richardson
Dec. 13-27
Bass Performance Hall
Fort Worth
Dec. 13-15
Margo Jones Performance Hall, Texas Woman’s University
Denton
Festival Ballet of North Texas
Dec. 14-15
Irving Arts Center
Irving
Marina Almayeva School of Classical Ballet
Dec. 15
Garland High School
Garland
Dec. 21-22
Ed Landreth Hall
Fort Worth
Dec. 21-22
Allen High School Performing Arts Center
Allen
Dec. 21-22
Eisemann Center
Richardson
Dec. 23-24
Eisemann Center
Richardson
If you know of other performances around town, please add them in the comments.
Is the Nutcracker part of your holiday tradition? What special ways do you celebrate it?
What a lovely tradition! I love your ideas for enhancing the experience. I’m thinking about taking my family this year, but am curious if you know whether any of these performances feature live music? I took my mom and sister to see the Texas Ballet Co. performance in Dallas several years ago, and it was absolutely beautiful, but we were so disappointed that they had canned music.
Laurie, I missed your comment, I’m sorry it’s taken me a LONG while to respond. I really don’t know which performances have live music. You would have to contact the companies directly to get the specifics. This year, my daughter and I saw the Texas Ballet Theater performance at the Winspear, and while it was beautiful, live music was not part of it.
The Nutcracker is one my all time favorite ballets to see. It’s just a timeless classic that should be seen every year around the holidays. Thanks for sharing your post!