Ballet Idaho: The Nutcracker

Ballet Idaho: The Nutcracker at Morrison Center For The Performing Arts

You've watched Clara slip into her dream a hundred times, but hearing the Sugar Plum Fairy with a full orchestra just steps away never gets old. This December 22nd performance brings Ballet Idaho and the Boise Philharmonic together at Morrison Center, and if you've been coming back year after year, you already know why that matters. There's something about live strings swelling during the snow scene that a recording will never capture, every note fills the room differently than the night before.

Maybe this is the year you finally bring someone who's never experienced ballet. The Nutcracker practically introduces itself. Everyone recognizes the "Dance of the Reed Flutes" even if they can't name it, and Clara's story doesn't need a program to follow. Watching a first-timer discover how dancers tell an entire tale without words? That's the gift longtime fans give themselves.

Tchaikovsky's score does exactly what it's done since 1892, it turns December into something worth celebrating. You'll see music and movement together, close enough to appreciate the artistry in every arabesque. Six nights only, December 18-23, and you know the Sunday evening show fills up with families making memories.

A first ballet gives a young theatergoer a chance to tell you which part of the story they figured out without a word.

Find seats for Ballet Idaho: The Nutcracker.