The Pre- Professional Ballet company, Southern New Hampshire Youth Ballet performed seven shows of The Nutcracker at the Palace Theater, as its annual main production for almost the last 30 years.

The dancers of the company start auditions as early as late August, and rehearsals start in early September. In just  short months, dancers learn, clean, and perfect their choreography to prepare for one magical weekend of shows. While most are spending their weekends hanging out with friends or going to football games, these dancers spend their weekends in the studio. Friday, Saturday and Sundays are spent perfecting the performance, as well as taking technique classes on the weekdays to sustain their training. These dancers give up lots of free time to be able to commit to preforming

“Nutcracker is my favorite season,” said dancer Meagan Murphy, “but there is so much that people don’t see behind the scenes.”

The Nutcracker is known as a holiday classic and fan favorite.The youth ballet started performing The Nutcracker in 2001, though the history of this ballet goes way back. The  Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since then, the ballet has grown in length and in popularity. Many versions have been made, including the well-known version performed by New York City Ballet and choreographed by George Balenchine himself. 

“For the past 8 years I have loved every moment of being a part of and watching The Nutcracker,” said dance Mom Kristin Montgomery.