A quintessential holiday season is incomplete as a Vanderbilt student without seeing the Vanderbilt Ballet Theater’s production of “The Nutcracker.” Whether you love Tchaikovsky’s iconic Christmas tunes, adore the sparkling costumes in the Land of Sweets or simply want to support the ballet dancers at Vanderbilt, mark your calendar for Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. CST in Blair’s Ingram Hall. This is a magical evening you won’t want to miss.

This year’s production is extra special, featuring a first-time collaboration with Ridley’s School of Dance, a local ballet studio. Ten young ballerinas, ages 4 to 10, will join Clara, played by sophomore Hazel Ludwig, in the Nutcracker’s magical world. Hadley Williamson, the show’s artistic director, performed in 13 Nutcracker productions growing up and sought more ways to involve both the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities in this year’s performance.

“These sweet little ballerinas have been working so hard in our rehearsals, and VBT is so excited to have them on stage with us! It’s so much fun to see how much they love to dance and a reminder of where many of us started our dance journeys,” Williamson said in a message to The Hustler.

For the first time since 2019, Act One will feature a live orchestra composed of 26 talented Blair School of Music students. The lively and challenging Tchaikovsky score will be brought to life by Vanderbilt musicians, offering time to relax the minds and uplift spirits before finals season. Even though the live music concludes at the end of Act One, the magic doesn’t stop there — Act Two will present a brand new Land of the Sweets backdrop, sweetening the dancing sugar, frosting and cookies from around the world even more. 

With double the cast members of last year’s production, the Vanderbilt community will see more familiar faces on stage at Ingram Hall this upcoming December evening.

“We’re excited to be able to revive some cherished traditions that we haven’t been able to bring back until now,” president of VBT Sophia Kainz said. “We can’t wait to share this incredible production with everyone.”