Experience the magic of the holidays with family and friends at southern California’s most spectacular production of The Nutcracker from critically acclaimed Inland Pacific Ballet. The Nutcracker comes to life in this magnificent ballet with beautiful sets, dazzling costumes, Tchaikovsky’s classic score, and more than 80 dancers on stage. This annual holiday favorite tells the story of a young girl named Clara who receives a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve and sets out on a wondrous journey to the Land of the Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. Toy soldiers, life-sized dancing dolls, falling snow, a fantastic dream with battling mice, dancing snowflakes, waltzing flowers, gingerbread characters, and the delightful Sugar Plum Fairy stir the imagination. This is family entertainment at its best.
In addition to IPB’s Company of professional dancers, the diverse cast includes a total of 77 youth between the ages of 6-18 who make up multiple casts at the three venues. Participating youth come primarily from the IPB Academy, and reside in local communities such as San Dimas, Chino, Glendora, Claremont, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Chino Hills, Corona, Redlands, Lake Forest, and Banning, among others.
This year’s performances will also feature several professional guest artists. Performing in The Nutcracker with IPB at the Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College in Claremont performances are New York City Ballet Principal dancers Mira Nadon, former IPB Academy student, and Peter Walker. Performing in The Nutcracker with IPB at Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside performances are Oakland Ballet dancers Lawrence Chen, former IPB Company member, and Jazmine Quezada.
Lewis Family Playhouse, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
· Saturday, December 2: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
· Sunday, December 3: 2 p.m.
· Saturday, December 9: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
· Sunday, December 10: 2 p.m.
Bridges Auditorium, 450 N College Way, Claremont, CA 91711
· Saturday, December 16: 2 p.m.
· Sunday, December 17: 2 p.m.
Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
· Friday, December 22: 7:30 p.m.
· Saturday, December 23: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Starting at $61; with senior/child/student/group discounts available
More Information:
• Tickets and program information: https://ipballet.org; https://www.cityofrc.us/news/inland-pacific-ballets-nutcracker (Lewis Family Playhouse); https://www.pomona.edu/administration/bridges-auditorium (Bridges Auditorium); https://www.riversidelive.com (Fox Performing Arts Center)
• For additional information, please contact the theater box offices directly.
• Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inlandpacificballet
• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inlandpacificballet
• Nutcracker Trailer/Broll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pNwj-avLZw
Inland Pacific Ballet, founded in 1994 by Southern California natives Victoria Koenig and Kevin Frank Myers, quickly became one of Southern California’s cultural jewels. Its mission is to build and sustain a professional ballet company in the Inland Empire of Southern California, committed to producing exquisitely staged productions of full-length classic story ballets as well as presenting the best in contemporary choreography.
Koenig and Myers have built Inland Pacific Ballet into the premier ballet company in the region, enjoying critical acclaim while performing the largest and most varied repertoire in the area. The Company’s repertoire includes such classics as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Les Sylphides, Graduation Ball and Swan Lake Act II. Full length classical masterpieces include Giselle, Coppélia and a lavish production of The Nutcracker. Contemporary classics include masterpieces by the legendary George Balanchine including Serenade, Concerto Barocco and Who Cares? and a growing body of original work which includes creative adaptations of much-loved stories such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Dracula, and Beauty and the Beast.
The Company has been performing at Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College since 1995, and in 2010 began adding other southern California venues to its regular season including the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga (2010), the Arcadia Performing Arts Center in Arcadia (2013), the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside (2014), and the Sophia B. Clarke Theater in Walnut (2019). Festival programs such as the Redlands Bowl Music Festival, Balletfest and Dance Kaleidoscope have also allowed the Company to reach an ever-expanding audience. Recent partnerships include a guest appearance with the San Bernardino Symphony in 2018.
Regional touring has included the Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles, the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, the Annenberg Theater in Palm Desert, the Haugh Performing Arts Center in Glendora, the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro. In 2009 the Company embarked on its first national tour, performing at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts in Amarillo, Texas.