Ballet Idaho’s holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” could soon get a makeover with help from major donors and grants.
Jennifer Weaver, Ballet Idaho’s executive director, says she’s raised about $1 million over the past year to revamp the popular production.
She says the new performance would take place about 50 years earlier than its current setting in the late 1800s – making it look completely different.
“Because [with the] Nutcracker, you can add new pieces and parts and so we’re going to be having some new choreography, as well as all new costumes, a whole new period. It’s just going to be fantastic.”
Ballet Idaho split with an Oregon ballet company about 10 years ago; they had been sharing resources for the annual production.
Weaver says the dance company had to build its own set for “The Nutcracker” quickly and on a tight budget. It’s been in decline for the past three years.
“We’ve had our production team working overtime, basically, to keep the costumes sewn together, to keep the sets from kind of disintegrating,” she says.
A recent $300,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has helped shore up Ballet Idaho’s fundraising campaign, along with substantial donations from individuals.
The organization will begin to raise the last $100,000 it needs later this year. The new production won’t start until winter 2019.
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