Nuts About Cracker Costumes
This week young dancers just cutting their teeth and professionals who’ve traveled the world dancing for a living take to the stage, but not before stepping into their lavish costumes for The Nutcracker ballets throughout California. While this particular seasonal ballet can be the largest performance revenue generator, young companies or smaller dance groups often can’t afford to produce The Nutcracker due to the costs of stage production and costumes. One ballet company just confessed to spending $10,000 on a single outfit, the Sugar Plum Fairy costume which contained 10,000 hand-sewn beads. Once constructed, it will be used year after year, fitting many dancers. But that’s just one costume and one dancer out of a cast of many and up to 200 costumes! Typically, bodices on the female costumes are made of silk and often hand made by expert costume designers and sewers, costing well over $1000. So this week when you attend one of these great shows, pay special attention to the costumes and if you can find it in your heart to help a non-profit ballet company, give a little extra money beyond the ticket price as a way of saying thanks.
Nutcrackers this Week:
- ANAHEIM Hirshl Ballet Nutcracker
- AUBURN Placer Theatre Ballet Nutcracker December 6-14, 2014
- CANOGA PARK California Dance Academy Nutcracker Ballet December 6-14, 2014
- COSTA MESA Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker for Kids December 13, 2014
- HUNTINGTON BEACH: Ballet E’tudes The Nutcracker December 6-14, 2014
- Inland Pacific Ballet’s The Nutcracker November 29 – December 27, 2014
- IRVINE Nutcracker with Festival Ballet Theatre December 12-24, 2014
- LANCASTER Antelope Valley Ballet Nutcracker December 13 & 14, 2014
- LONG BEACH Long Beach Ballet’s The Nutcracker December 13-21, 2014
- FORT BRAGG Mendocino Ballet The Nutcracker Ballet December 13-14, 2014
- MODESTO The Nutcracker with Central West Ballet December 12-21, 2014
- SACRAMENTO Sacramento Ballet’s The Nutcracker Dec. 6-21, 2014 at Community Center Theater
- SAN DIEGO San Diego’s Best Nutcracker December 12 – 24, 2014 performed by City Ballet of San Diego
- SAN DIEGO Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker Dec. 16
- SAN DIEGO California Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker December 13-21, 2014 San Diego Civic Theatre
- SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker December 12-29, 2014 at War Memorial Opera House
- SAN JOSE: Ballet San Jose The Nutcracker Dec. 13-28, 2014 at Center for the Performing Arts
- SAN PEDRO San Pedro City Ballet Nutcracker December 13-14, 2014 at historic Warner Grand Theatre
- SAN RAFAEL Marin Ballet Nutcracker December 13-14, 2014, 5 p.m.
- SANTA MONICA Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s The Nutcracker December 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 2014
- THOUSAND OAKS Conejo Civic Ballet Company Nutcracker December 14, 2014
- VENTURA Ventura County Ballet’s Nutcracker Dec. 13-14, 2014 at Ventura College
