Idaho Ballet Theater’s production of “The Nutcracker” returns to the Colonial Theater

IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Ballet Theater will perform its annual holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” for the 21st time this December.

“The Nutcracker,” a classical ballet, will be performed on December 5, 6 and 7 starting at 7 p.m. The show takes place at the Colonial Theater at 450 A. Street in Idaho Falls. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

“(The Nutcracker) is definitely one that a lot of people know, but I think it resonates with so many people because you can see yourself in so many different moments throughout the entire ballet,” director Abbey Lasley told EastIdahoNews.com.

The cast consists of around 125 dancers. Approximately 110 Idaho Ballet Theater students, ages three to 17, appear in the production. The stage will also feature guest performers and students from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

“Everyone is local … and the majority are students,” Lasley said. “We’re really proud of this, putting on a professional-level production with a full student cast.”

Lasley believes “The Nutcracker” is a “magical tradition” and a great way to begin the holiday season and focus on the “hopeful, optimistic, pure and beautiful aspects of this holiday.”

“’The Nutcracker’ has so much depth that I don’t think people expected. “People expect to see almost all the bright, shiny, sparkly, beautiful little parts of it — and we love all of those parts — but there are so many more layers,” she said. “There is so much more to learn and internalize—things that can help us develop a truly gratitude-based, optimistic view of the future.”

Lasley is one of three new directors making “The Nutcracker” possible this year.

Idaho Ballet Theater founder and original director Brandy K. Jensen, who is Lasley’s mother, fainted during rehearsals for “The Nutcracker” last year just days before the performance. She suffered a stroke later that night and died on December 14, 2023, aged 53.

“It was really hard and a shock for all of us, but she was able to do what she loved until the last day and that was truly a gift,” Lasley said.

Jensen founded the Idaho Ballet Theater in 2003, and Lasley said she quickly began doing full-length productions like “The Nutcracker.”

“Every year she would add some elements – she would polish something, re-choreograph something or improve it in some way,” Lasley explained. “When we came to her performance (of “The Nutcracker”) last year, it was a very nice look at her life’s work.”

Lasley said her mother’s absence will weigh heavily on the performers’ hearts during their December shows, but they are looking forward to taking the stage and honoring Jensen through their performances.

“We are very grateful to be able to move forward and use everything she taught us and embodied in her life to share this holiday magic and help people see the deeper meaning behind everything we do,” Lasley said.