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AUGUST 11, 2009                                                         KIM ESPINOSA
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  Houston Ballet Lights up the Holidays with The Nutcracker

From November 27 - December 27, 2009, Houston Ballet will bring Texas its most joyous holiday gift with its beloved production of Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker, a Houston holiday tradition. A wonderful ballet for the entire family, The Nutcracker is the perfect way to introduce young children to the power and beauty of classical dance. Tchaikovsky's magical score, Desmond Heeley's fairytale scenery, and Mr. Stevenson's vibrantly theatrical staging combine to create one of the most visually stunning productions of The Nutcracker in the world today.

The Nutcracker tells the story of a little girl named Clara who is given a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. She encounters the frightful rat king before embarking on a journey through the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. Young and old alike will experience the production's many special effects, including the Christmas tree that "grows" to forty feet, 200 pounds of "snow" falling during the snow scene, and the firing of a canon on stage. Molly Glentzer, dance critic for the Houston Chronicle, wrote, "You'd have to be a Scrooge not to surrender to the spirit."

The Nutcracker has a special place in Houston Ballet's history over the last four decades.  It was the first full-length work to enter Houston Ballet's repertoire in a staging by Frederic Franklin, featuring scenery and costumes by the English designer Peter Farmer.  The company gave six performances of The Nutcracker in 1972 at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, and has danced the work each December without fail for the following 37 years.  In 1976, Houston Ballet presented the production with revised choreography by the company's new artistic director Ben Stevenson. In 1987, the current production with designs by Desmond Heeley, lighting by Duane Schuler, and choreography by Mr. Stevenson was unveiled to a glowing critical response.  

Today, the company gives 35 performances of  The Nutcracker at Wortham Theater Center, and the production plays a key role in Houston Ballet's financial picture, drawing 70,000 theatergoers to Houston's Theater District and bringing in over $3.4 million revenues in 2008, the company's highest grossing series of performances.