• Friday, Dec. 6, 10:00 a.m. – School/Community Matinee Performance
• Friday, Dec. 6, 7:00 p.m. – Traditional Public Performance
• Saturday, Dec. 7, 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. – Nutcracker Experience (1:00-2:30 p.m.) & Performance (3:00 p.m.)
• Sunday, Dec. 8, 2:00 p.m. – Traditional Public Performance

Note: Friday morning’s and Saturday’s performances are school/family-friendly versions.

See more details below about this year’s Saturday Nutcracker Experience. (see also Tickets section below)

The Friday School/Community Matinee Performance is designed especially for school children and community groups, offering an excellent opportunity to introduce and experience classical music and dance for young and mature audiences. Students of all ages and nursing home residents across Central Illinois have enjoyed this performance for the past 40+ years.

• The running length of this year’s production is approximately 90 minutes.
• Tickets are available now to schools, home-school families, and community groups.
• See our School Letter and School Ticket Order Form for more details.
  • Note: The same info in the letter and the same order form can be used for any and all community groups.
• Contact the studio at [email protected] for more details.

This performance is sponsored and made possible by the Town of Normal's Harmon Arts Grant.

*Experience this Fun, Family-Friendly Nutcracker event!

This fun, family-friendly experience is back again this year as part of our annual Nutcracker Ballet Weekend!

This event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7, and will include fun, pre-show activities in ISU’s Bone Student Center, followed by a family-friendly Nutcracker performance in Braden Auditorium. 

Your Saturday ticket will include:

• 1:00-2:30 p.m. – Fun-for-the-Family Activities (ISU Bone Student Center Ball Room)
  • Enjoy activities, music, candy, a photo booth, and a memorabilia table!
  • Take a backstage tour with opportunities to get pictures and autographs from your favorite Nutcracker cast members!
• 3:00 p.m. – Performance by Twin Cities Ballet (ISU Braden Auditorium)
  • Enjoy all the costumes, scenes, and music of our traditional ballet, in an abbreviated version.
  • Seating will be general admission. (no pre-assigned seats)

Kick-off the holiday season with TCSD and a Nutcracker Experience you’ll always remember!

***Tickets orders are available now to schools, home-school families, and community groups.***

• Friday (12/6) School/Community Matinee Performance
  • Abbreviated, School/Family-Friendly Performance (10:00 a.m.)
  • See Friday's section above and our School Letter and School Ticket Order Form for more details.
    • Note: The same info in the letter and the same order form can be used for any and all community groups.
  • Contact the studio at [email protected] for more details.

***Tickets for Friday Evening's Traditional Performance (12/6), Saturday's Nutcracker Experience & Family-Friendly Performance (12/7), and Sunday's Traditional Matinee Performance (12/8) will be onsale at Braden Box Office and online via Ticketmaster starting 8:00 a.m. Friday, October 18. (no phone orders this year per ISU)

• Friday (12/6) Performance 
  • Traditional Performance (7:00 p.m.)
  • Tickets are $28 (plus a $4.00 ISU facility fee).
  • Audience seating will be by seat assignment made at time of purchase. (not general admission)

• Saturday (12/7) Nutcracker Experience & Performance
  • Nutcracker Experience (1:00-2:30 p.m.) & Performance (3:00 p.m.)
  • Tickets are $28 (plus a $4.00 ISU facility fee).
  • Each ticket includes admission to the entire Nutcracker Experience: activities and performance. (see more details above)
  • Audience seating for the performance will be general admission (no pre-assigned seats).

• Sunday (12/8) Performance
  • Traditional Performance (2:00 p.m.)
  • Tickets are $28 (plus a $4.00 ISU facility fee).
  • Audience seating will be by seat assignment made at time of purchase. (not general admission)

General Ticket Information (All Performances)

• Children 2 and under are free (when sitting on a lap).
• Purchase tickets at the Braden Box Office (check building hours online), located at The Welcome Desk on the east side of the first floor concourse of the ISU Bone Student Center.
  • The Braden Box Office does not permit over the phone sales of tickets.
  • The box office accepts credit and/or debit cards only.
• Tickets are also available online via Ticketmaster (with additional fees).

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***For Dancers & Dance Families***

Keep watching this page for more details...

(updated 12/02/24)

| 2024 NUTCRACKER INFO PACKET |

| KEY DATES || SATURDAY REHEARSALS |

| TECH WEEK REHEARSALS || PERFORMANCE SCHEDULES | 

 | DROP-OFF/PICK-UP @ ISU | *new 12/2

 | HAIR/MAKE-UP || ATTIRE |

| FLOWERS || VOLUNTEERS |

| PARTICIPATION FEES & MEDIA/VIDEOS || PICTURES | 

| PROGRAM ADS/MESSAGES || NUTCRACKER APPAREL |

 | CASTING: AUDITIONS/SIGN-UP || ISU HOMECOMING |

***Reference the 2024 NUTCRACKER INFO PACKET for full Tech Week details, Performance Schedules, and more.***

Dear Nutcracker Families - 

To help all families prepare for this week (especially those new to Nutcracker or with younger dancers), we wanted to share the following drop-off and pick-up details for rehearsals and performances this Wednesday-Sunday (12/4 - 12/8) at ISU's Braden Auditorium.

• Enter through the stage door at the bottom of the loading dock ramp, which is located near the corner of University & College.
• Check-in at the Security Table inside and confirm who will pick-up and a contact phone #, which may be used for change or pick-up notifications.
• Parking on the loading dock ramp by non-staff is strictly prohibited.

*The 2024 Nutcracker Info Packet is available online on our 2024 Nutcracker site, where you can find all the details you need to know including full Tech Week Rehearsal and Performance Schedules.

• Mice (if dancer’s only part): ~7:30 p.m.
• Angels (if dancer’s last part):  ~8:00 p.m.
• Bon Bons (if dancer’s last part): ~8:30 p.m.

**These times are approximate. Miss Eka will make every effort to start/end per the schedule, but this might not always be possible during final rehearsals.

For performances (Fri/Sat/Sun), dancers can be picked-up at the end of each performance at the following approximate times:

• Friday a.m.: ~11:30 a.m.
• Friday p.m.: ~9:15 p.m.
• Saturday: ~4:30 p.m.
• Sunday: ~4:15 p.m.

Note: To ensure the health and safety of your dancers, we will not allow younger dancers to leave the building without a parent or guardian. Contact numbers confirmed at check-in may be used to notify parents/guardians of changes or dancers still waiting for pick-up.

Make-up/Hair Reminder: All dancers should arrive at dress rehearsals (and performances) with hair and make-up ready for the stage.

We are excited your dancers will be participating in this exciting annual tradition!

Picture Day is Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024

9:00am - 12:00pm

To sign up for 2024 Nutcracker Pictures,

please complete your order ONLINE below

by November 15 at 5:00pm!

We will NOT be accepting orders at the dance studio on November 16.

You are able to include multiple children and multiple costumes in one order!

When you add the item to your cart it will ask for information about the child’s name and costumes.

Please use their FIRST and LAST name so we can have their costume pulled & ready for them.

If you wish to have multiple dancers in the same image,

please note that you would like their picture together.

** You DO NOT need to bring a copy of this form with you for pictures **

We can't wait to see you on November 16!

CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR ORDER

Photography credit: Running N Heels Photography