HELENA — On November 18 and 19, Queen City Ballet will be performing its 22nd annual Nutcracker at the Helena Civic Center.
About 100 dancers will take the audience through a magical journey.
Starting at a Christmas party where Clara receives her beloved nutcracker before she is transported to the Land of Sweets ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
These dancers have been working hard to learn, practice and refine every part of the show since mid-July.
“It’s been busy. You work hard seven days a week and you work on the little details and everything just so it can read to the audience and so you can tell a story,” said Ekaterina Bolodina, the Sugar Plum Fairy.
One big difference this year, is that the majority of the cast consists of younger dancers, compared to past years.
Queen City Ballet has adapted roles to these younger dancers.
“I have probably the youngest cast and leads in Act II, and I’ve done some very special things for them to showcase their talents,” said Campbell Midgley, the Artistic Director for Queen City Ballet Company.
To enhance the performance further, Queen City Ballet has asked four alumni dancers to join the cast.
These dancers have years of experience performing the Nutcracker and have danced almost all parts of the show through the years.
“I started as a little Archangel. Moved through sheep, the snow, the flowers. I was Clara back in 2019 and in my final Nutcracker, what I thought was my final Nutcracker, I played the role of the Snow Queen,” said Kaitlyn Ruch, an Arabian dancer.
Start the Christmas season off right with a classic ballet.
“You should definitely come this weekend to Queen City Ballet’s Nutcracker. It is just a magical experience and a great way to kick off a holiday season,” Bolodina said.
For tickets and more information visit queencityballet.com.
