Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre is gearing up for their 21st Annual Nutcracker Production which will be held Saturday, December 15 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, December 16 at 2:00 pm. The Nutcracker has truly become a local cherished holiday tradition with tickets selling out last year and this year they are on track to sell out in record time. Tickets can be purchased online at www.rockymountaindancetheatre.tix.com or locally at The Thistle in Cody.
Even though the storyline and music of the Nutcracker never changes, it may be eye opening to fully understand what goes into producing the Nutcracker every year. Here is just a glimpse: way back in May, over 100 kids and adults auditioned for parts in this years performance. In June, the cast was announced and information sent out to families. In August, the advanced dancers started practices. In September, practices started for the majority of the other roles. The first week of October was costume fitting for all. After hundreds of costumes are fitted and assigned, they are individually checked for alterations and fixes/patches/buttons needed and are cleaned. Monday’s at the studio are strictly Nutcracker practice days and become even more busy when the littlest dancers started their practices in October. Once November and December roll around there is even more time and energy spent with extra practices and rehearsals. (Shout out here to parents/guardians for their time!)
During all this; the auditorium is booked; 5 different backdrops are ordered; posters are made & distributed; guest Principal dancers are scheduled; rooms, flights, and services for Principal dancers are paid for; ticketing is made available to the public; program is typed up, edited, and printed; newspaper ads are created; videographer/ lighting designer/audio technician/technical directors are hired… If you haven’t gathered, the cost of all this adds up rather quickly and since RMDT is a non-profit organization, the Nutcracker is only made possible by donations, sponsors, and grants.
From what is known, the RMDT Nutcracker is the only performance in the area which this type of exposure and experience to the arts is available to both young and old alike. With RMDT’s Access for All Program, two Nutcracker performances are given free to students from our schools in the surrounding area so all kids can experience the magic of a professional Nutcracker ballet production.
RMDT is so grateful to everyone that supports them and their annual Nutcracker Production. If you are interested in placing an ad in this years Nutcracker Program they are due Nov 15, 2018. For more information on this and other ways to support RMDT see: www.rockymountaindancetheatre.org/support