Matt Beaty / The Lumberjack The low strings work on the overture of The Nutcracker during rehearsal on Tuesday night. The show, conducted by Jon Eder, will play Friday and Saturday in Ardrey Auditorium.

Nearly 120 years after its first release, Peter Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is still considered to be part of the annual kickoff to the holiday season. The timeless ballet is at Ardrey Auditorium for three shows beginning on Dec. 4.

Combining elements of dance, music and acting, The Nutcracker tells the story of a young woman’s interactions with fantastical creatures, including the Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and a prince who happens to be a nutcracker. Young dancers from throughout the community are working with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra (FSO) to put on the local incarnation of the classic ballet.

Laura Kelly, the executive director of the FSO, said the music in The Nutcracker is instantly recognizable, even if the ballet itself is not.
“It is music that people know even if they do not know it,” Kelly said. “You might not remember song titles, like ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,’ but you know the melodies. It is classic classical music.”

The FSO performed the ballet 15 times over the past 30 years, allowing The Nutcracker to become an annual tradition among orchestra members.

Jon Eder, the FSO’s principal clarinet player and conductor of The Nutcracker for the previous three years, said performing the ballet annually allows many members of the orchestra to hone their skills and grow comfortable with the material.

“There will always be different methods of showing [The Nutcracker], but we have worked with the same choreographer for the last three years,” Eder said. “We are more confident now. We can now incorporate small changes with tempos, making it more exciting for the audience.”

Unlike the rest of the FSO’s concerts, which feature only 75 members of the orchestra and a conductor, The Nutcracker gives elaborately decorated dancers the opportunity to share the stage with the musicians.

The dance ensemble is comprised of children from the NAU Community Music and Dance Academy, along with those from the Children’s Chorale of Flagstaff. Performers are assigned roles by seniority. Younger children play mice and party children, while more experienced dancers are allowed soloist roles, including the coveted role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Matt Beaty / The Lumberjack Conductor Jon Eder puts the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and the Flagstaff High School choir through their paces during a rehearsal for The Nutcracker on Tuesday night. The show will play Dec. 3 and 4 in Ardrey Auditorium.

Andrew Needhammer, the costume designer and choreographer for the ballet, said this system provided performers with a number of different parts over the years.

“As each student improves yearly, they move up a grade not only in school, but for The Nutcracker,” Needhammer said. “Of the 200 kids involved, those with solos have been here the longest. Next year, it will be someone else’s turn.”

Despite being written more than a century ago, Kelly said the ballet remains timeless, primarily with those still young at heart.

“There is this real kind of connection with childhood,” Kelly said. “It is really a fantasy that everyone wants to experience.”

Eder said the ballet serves as a gateway to Christmas and its many celebrations.

“It is a tradition,” Eder said. “There are certain things people like to do during the holidays; sometimes it involves meals, gifts or whatever. But one tradition here in Flagstaff has always been going to The Nutcracker.”

The Nutcracker is scheduled for Dec. 4 and 5 in Ardrey Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. A “Lollipop Matinee,” featuring a shorter version of the ballet geared more toward children, will be presented on Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.

For tickets, call 523-5661.