Golden State Ballet

We are grateful for Milberg Orthodontics, who matched the first $1000 in donations received!

The holidays will be here before we know it, and we can't wait to present The Nutcracker ballet at the Civic Theatre with the San Diego Symphony this December. Thank you for considering supporting our production!

Golden State Ballet's The Nutcracker

Among other productions, we are thrilled to bring The Nutcracker to the Civic Theatre, with the San Diego Symphony playing Tchaikovsky's music, as we tell Clara's story of her adventures in the Land of Sweets! Your support allows us to pay for dance shoes, which provide necessary support for our cast. These can cost up to $100 per pair!

THE NUTCRACKER           

Since its first performance in San Francisco in 1944, The Nutcracker is now a beloved holiday tradition that brings out audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The fairytale begins as families gather for a party – a young Clara receives a gift from her Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer: a Nutcracker. Clara falls asleep by the Christmas tree (a production spectacle embraced by ballet companies across the country!), and as she awakens, she finds her Nutcracker Prince leading an army of soldiers against their foes, led by the Mouse King. The victorious Nutcracker Prince and Clara spend Act II in the Land of Sweets, where they admire foods from around the globe, as performed by professional and student dancers.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR OUR COMMUNITY

For many patrons, our Nutcracker performances will be their first ballet experience. What an honor and responsibility that is for our company, to produce an experience that may determine if that first-timer may ever attend another ballet performance! Our team takes very seriously each element of the production, from the hiring of professional dancers, to collaborating with the internationally recognized San Diego Symphony, to ensuring that the sets/props/costumes dazzle from the audience’s vantage point. We also invest in stage magic, by securing dry ice to create the illusion of snow on stage, and by using a Christmas tree that grows by several feet during the party scene! Our sincere hope is that our audiences will be moved by their Nutcracker experience and return the following December, as many patrons do. The Nutcracker is a valued experience, one which brings out large groups of families, friends, and colleagues to experience ballet together!

In addition to serving our community as a destination for holiday joy, we also take pride in creating opportunities for San Diego’s youth to perform with professional ballet dancers. For the 2023 Nutcracker production, we anticipate involving at least seventy-five ballet students from all around San Diego county. While most of the children will be cast for roles in Act I’s party scene, dance students will also have opportunities to perform alongside the professional dancers throughout Clara’s adventures in Act II’s Land of Sweets. This will also allow these students, who range from age four to twenty, to be accompanied by the San Diego Symphony, a rare treat for any local performer! By including children in this production, they will learn from professional instructors in the industry, train their bodies as disciplined athletes, and experience the joy and stage fright of performing in a 3,000-seat theatre.

 GRATITUDE

On behalf of our artists, patrons, board of directors, and staff, we thank you for considering our request to support this production, so that we can continue to serve our community and students.

About us: 

Golden State Ballet is committed to enhancing Southern California’s arts scene by instilling a love and appreciation for dance through artistic excellence, invigorating performances, innovative choreography, and engaging educational programs. We value giving respect to our diverse community, holding ourselves accountable to conducting business ethically, and creating a workplace that attracts and retains talented and creative artists and staff.