Butler Ballet: The Nutcracker

Butler Ballet: The Nutcracker at Clowes Memorial Hall

Tchaikovsky's music, an orchestra, a children's choir and dancers together give this Nutcracker a distinctive Indianapolis sound. It is the kind of night out that makes December feel like December. You get dressed up. You sit beside the people you love. Then the lights go down and the story takes over. See the Clowes Memorial Hall venue guide for location and visitor information.

What makes this production special is the sound as much as the sight. Tchaikovsky's score comes alive with the Butler Ballet Orchestra and the Indianapolis Children's Choir, directed by Richard Auldon Clark. That means real musicians, real voices and a performance shaped in the moment. Recorded music can't match that kind of presence. When the dancers move to a live orchestra, the whole room seems to breathe together.

Butler Ballet promotes dancing, costumes, scenery and pyrotechnics for this production, so the stage is built to dazzle. This year also brings the return of Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles, a moment that gives the evening a dose of playful surprise. Picture the glow of the scenery, the swirl of costumes and the shared gasps from the seats around you. This is Butler Ballet's own full Nutcracker, and it is separate from other December Nutcracker events around town. Make it your family's holiday outing, your date night or the evening you finally treat yourself to something grand. Don't just plan to feel festive this season. Reserve your seats for Butler Ballet's The Nutcracker at Clowes Memorial Hall and give your December a night worth remembering.