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The Nutcracker: 28 Holiday Performances of the Classic Ballet Fit for Kids

The Los Angeles Ballet's Nutcracker. Photo by Reed Hutchinson
The Los Angeles Ballet's Nutcracker. Photo by Reed Hutchinson
11/9/18 - By Roberta B

Most of the year, most of us parents don't attempt to take our children to full-length ballet productions, but Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas without one good Nutcracker. And if one good Nutcracker begins to make it feel a lot like Christmas, then LA, Orange, and Ventura counties are evidently hitting Uber-Christmas in the coming weeks with more than two dozen professional Nutcracker productions.

Incidentally, we've got answers to the two questions posed most often by LA parents in search of a Nutcracker Ballet for their families: Yes, there is a condensed version staged specifically for kids, offered by the Festival Ballet Theatre down in Costa Mesa or Classical Ballet Theatre in Palos Verdes; and yes, there are local productions performed with full orchestra—​at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, the Broad Stage, the Dolby Theatre, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and the Grove of Anaheim. There is even the odd Nutcracker Tea or two—in case you were wondering.

And when you've had your fill of Sugarplum Fairies, we can direct you to some nifty Christmas train rides.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Below we have a list of all the SoCal performances of the Tchaikovsky holiday classic by theater; you can also view the options chronologically. 

Agoura High School (Moorpark Civic Ballet)
Alex Theatre (Los Angeles Ballet)
Alex Theatre (Red Chair)
The Broad Stage (Westside Ballet)
Calabasas High School (California Dance Ensemble)
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (Los Angeles Ballet)
Dolby Theatre​ (Los Angeles Ballet)
Fox Performing Arts Center (Hip Hop)
Fox Performing Arts Center (Inland Pacific Ballet)
The Grove of Anaheim (Anaheim Ballet)
Irvine Barclay Theatre (Festival Ballet Theatre)
Lewis Family Playhouse (Inland Pacific Ballet)
Long Beach Terrace Theater (Hip Hop)
Long Beach Terrace Theater (Long Beach Ballet)
Palos Verdes Performing Arts Norris Theatre (Highlights by Classical Ballet Theatre)
Palos Verdes Performing Arts Norris Theatre (Palos Verdes Ballet)
Palos Verdes Performing Arts Norris Theatre (Peninsula School of Performing Arts)
Pomona College (Inland Pacific Ballet)
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (Debbie Allen Dance Academy)
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (Los Angeles Ballet)
Royce Hall (Los Angeles Ballet)
Saddleback College (Laguna Ballet)
San Gabriel Mission Playhouse (Pasadena Dance Theatre)
Segerstrom Center for the Arts (American Ballet Theatre and Pacific Symphony)
Segerstrom Center for the Arts (Festival Ballet Theatre and Pacific Symphony)
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza (Conejo Civic Ballet)
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza (Pacific Festival Ballet)
Warner Grand Theatre (San Pedro City Ballet)

Originally published November 15, 2011