Texas Ballet Theater Ushers In The Holiday Season With Ben Stevenson's THE NUTCRACKER At Winspear Opera House

Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) will present the annual holiday classic The Nutcracker at Winspear Opera House on the AT&T Performing Arts Center campus November 29 - December 8.

The performance is a classical ballet in two acts, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) and set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. TBT will bring five truckloads of sets, costumes and other production elements to Winspear Opera House to bring the story to life onstage.

The ballet includes special effects such as snow falling from the ceiling of Winspear Opera House and set pieces and dancers flying through Clara's dreamland. To make it snow in Dallas, production staff secure four snow machines in the ceiling of the hall. In addition, a five-person crew orchestrates the flying elements throughout the performance, including an angel, a sleigh and a carpet.

Dancers will wear more than 200 costumes in each performance, including hand-sewn tutus for the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy. Each of these tutus took up to 300 hours to complete. In all, wardrobe staff used approximately 10 miles of thread to build the costumes.

TBT's production boasts choreography by Artistic Director Ben Stevenson, O.B.E. Stevenson received the distinction of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) from Queen Elizabeth II for his impact on the world of ballet.

The full-length, child-friendly ballet lasts approximately two hours, including a 20-minute intermission. A "Wiggle Room" is available for energetic children to play, while still watching the performance via a window from the broadcast booth. The November 30 and December 7 matinees also feature a Kingdom of Sweets with crafts, story time with a ballerina and the chance to try on costumes one hour prior to show time (free with ticket to the ballet).

Tickets range from $20-$125 and are available at www.texasballettheater.org or 877.828.9200.