“The Nutcracker” is a heartwarming holiday tradition, and Indiana Ballet Conservatory (IBC) prides itself in being Carmel’s very own unique version that is the perfect fit for such a special community.
This holiday season, the Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will be dazzling attendees with the beautiful melodies by the iconic composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for “The Nutcracker!” This inaugural event has been a dream of IBC’s Founder and Artistic Director Alyona Yakovleva for years, as bringing live music alongside quality ballet is truly the way ballet is meant to be seen and enjoyed. This collaboration, born out of genuine friendship and respect with the CSO and Executive Director Anne Marie Chastain, helps both organizations’ desire to elevate the arts in Indiana and beyond.
For years, IBC staged sold-out performances of “The Nutcracker” at Indiana theaters. It was clear this production needed a larger venue to accommodate the growing audience, so a few years ago this world-renowned (ranked number-three in the United States) pre-professional ballet school brought this fan favorite to The Palladium in Carmel.
Secondarily, a former beloved IBC student will be returning home to debut in the role of the Nutcracker Prince. Timoor Afshar began his training with the world-renowned faculty of IBC, and eventually went on to further his career as an apprentice with the Stuttgart Ballet in 2017. In 2023 he joined the Vienna State Ballet as a soloist. With family and friends still living in Fishers, Afshar is looking forward to coming back “home” to IBC and the tradition of the very first “Nutcracker” that started his ballet journey.
Under the Directorship of Yakovleva, IBC’s “The Nutcracker” sets itself apart by offering unique experiences for Hoosier audiences. For example, this particular staging is closest to that of the original version of “The Nutcracker” that premiered in Russia in 1892. The story of “The Nutcracker” was born out of the E.T.A. Hoffmann book “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. One thing that isn’t traditional though – you will find a furry friend on stage in IBC’s production. The conservatory has a passion for pets, and that carries over to the stage. We can’t think of a better way to take a time-honored tradition and give it a twist that makes it even better!
Show dates/times for 2024 will be Saturday, November 30, and Sunday, December 1. Tickets are on-sale now.
