Metropolitan Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker Performance

The ballerinas at The Nutcracker by the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre make it look easy! As someone who was kindly asked not to come back to ballet class I know how difficult ballet is! The dancers who performed the full-length traditional staging of The Nutcracker with the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre are a mix of students and professional dancers.

The professional dancers wowed us opening night with their precision and skill. The students, especially the young dancers, were my kids’ favorite. My girls couldn’t get over how there were kids, not much older than themselves, on stage performing. The mice were definitely a fan favorite!

The Nutcracker is an iconic Christmas performance that is so much more than just dancers. The stage at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center is transformed from the Stahlbaum Home, to the Land of Snowflakes and finally the Kingdom of Sweets. The costumes were stunning, the music was enchantingly nostalgic, the show was captivating. The soundtrack is synonymous with Christmas for so many people. I will never hear it the same after seeing the music brought to life.

I was worried my 3 & 4.5 year old may be too young to really understand The Nutcracker, but they have been begging to see a ballet so we took a risk. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged they were. The lack of dialogue didn’t prove too boring for them, the two hour performance wasn’t too long, the story line wasn’t too much. When the first act ended my girls looked at me in disbelief, “is it over?!” We officially have ballet fever! My girls can’t wait to see Alice in Wonderland March 17-18, 2018! Tickets go on sale the January.

Know before you go

• The Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center is located on the Rockville Campus of Montogmery College with ample free parking.
• The performance lasts a little over 2 hours with an intermission.
• Refreshments and nutcracker holiday gifts are available for sale in the lobby.