Official Long Beach Ballet Nutcracker Sponsors
How did Long Beach Ballet’s Nutcracker become the most beloved in Southern California?
Nutcrackers come and go but only one is so spectacular, so charming, so heart-warming and memorable that it has become southern California’s favorite. For 40 years, David Wilcox’s production of The Nutcracker has been seen but over a million people at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, throughout the Asian continent, as well as television.
40th Anniversary of Long Beach Ballet’s holiday classic
“The Nutcracker”
6th Performances Only –
December 16, 17, 18, 22, & 23 2022
Long Beach Terrace Theater
Named “The Nation’s Best-Loved Nutcracker” by Goldstar audiences 2018 & 2019
LONG BEACH, CA (September 23, 2021) – The Long Beach Ballet continues its annual holiday tradition, for the 40th year this December, of presenting The Nutcracker at the Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center for five performances from December 17 to 19. As always, the beloved production bursts with special guest performances and additional surprise treats the entire family will love. In 2018 and 2019, Goldstar audiences voted the Long Beach Ballet’s The Nutcracker as the “best-loved” production in the nation.
The Long Beach Ballet’s Artistic Director David Wilcox has pulled out all the stops for this 40th production of the classical tale. This production boasts a full symphony orchestra, a flying sleigh, a real live horse, on-stage pyrotechnics, and a cast of over 200. Former Disney designers Elliot Hessayon and Scott Schaffer created the enchanting scenery, Australian artist Adrian Clark designed the detailed costumes, and renowned magician Franz Harary created the special effects.
Tickets go on sale to the general public October 18th. For complete information, visit www.LongBeachNutcracker.com.
The Long Beach Ballet is one of the only ballet companies in Southern California which performs The Nutcracker with a full symphony orchestra and is one of only two ballet companies in the country that use two harps for their production to ensure the performance sounds exactly as Tchaikovsky intended it to sound.
Wilcox is excited to present a special rendition of the beloved Holiday tale. A former ballet virtuoso himself, he now brings his power, strength, grace and artistry to the production, which features both new surprises and classic entertainment. “I like using the beauty of the classical art form of ballet, which has taken 500 years to develop to the level that it is today, to form a production that’s enticing and exciting. It has pyrotechnics, it has magic; it’s got everything I can think of to make it thrilling. This production is not just for people who like ballet. You can hate ballet and you’ll still like this production,” he adds.
The Long Beach Ballet’s Nutcracker has been seen by millions of people worldwide, including live audiences totaling more than 400,000 in Long Beach, 70,000 in Pasadena, hundreds of thousands throughout Asia (as performed by the Chinese Guangzhou Ballet), and millions more on television.
Performances begin with a reduced-price Preview Performance (full symphony) on Friday night, December 17th at 7:30 p.m. Show times are Saturday, December 18th at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday, December 19th at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm at the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, located at 300 E Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and the Long Beach Convention Center Main Box Office. Visit www.LongBeachNutcracker.com for more information. Family-friendly ticket prices range from $34.00 – $78.00 with a special VIP Package also available. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.
ABOUT THE LONG BEACH BALLET
Long Beach Ballet is one of Southern California’s leading classical ballet institutions. The academy’s reputation is based on excellence, dedication and passion for the art. Students from this academy have gone on to join companies like San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and the Dresden Ballet.
For more information visit: http://www.longbeachballet.com.
DAVID WILCOX, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE LONG BEACH BALLET
Los Angeles native David Wilcox began studying the dance at the age of eleven. He continued his studies in London and at the age of nineteen began his professional career in Germany where he danced with the Berlin Ballet, the Nuremberg Ballet and the Heidelberg Ballet. In 1981, he co-founded Long Beach Ballet which became Southern California’s most successful ballet company for 15 years. Many of Wilcox’s students have gone on to join companies like San Francisco Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Milwaukee Ballet and New York Ballet Theater. He has produced and directed nine ballet tours to Asia and has staged three full-length ballets for the Classical Ballet of Guangzhou, China: The Nutcracker, La Bayadere and Cinderella. He lives with his wife and daughters in Long Beach.
Calendar Listing for the Long Beach Ballet’s The Nutcracker
In Person – Long Beach Convention Center Box Office
Ticketmaster – www.Ticketmaster.com
Website – www.longbeachballet.com