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For many, December includes an outing to The Nutcracker ballet, and for dance schools up and down the Central Coast, holiday show ticket sales make up a large part of the yearly operating budget. But with theaters closed, performances of the holiday classic will be posted online for home viewing. The Nutcracker, set to the music of Tchaikovsky, is a holiday production that delights audiences everywhere.
“It was first performed at the Mariinsky Theater in Russia in 1892,” said Cecily Stewart MacDougall. It’s become incredibly popular and is performed by ballet companies all over the world.
MacDougall is director of education for State Street Ballet. She said the Santa Barbara dance company has performed The Nutcracker every year since 1994 with only two interruptions a cancelled date during the Thomas fire, and now the pandemic.
and last updated 2020-12-21 14:44:58-05
The COVID-19 pandemic didnât stop a local ballet company from showcasing a Christmas special to the community.
The 43
rd annual Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispoâs âThe Nutcrackerâ was pre-recorded this year and shown Sunday night at the Sunset Drive-in.
Once on sale, tickets sold quickly, leading to more than 100 cars lining up to watch the holiday classic.
Drew Silvaggio, artistic director of the Civic Ballet, says this yearâs performance was shorter as only selected dances were done, but they wanted to give back to the community, especially this year.
Practices took place on the Academy of Danceâs outdoor stage and the show was recorded at the Performing Arts Center the day before shut-down orders went into place.