Students Gather for Annual Performance of The Nutcracker
A major Bakersfield holiday tradition is back this Christmas season. The Nutcracker is celebrating its 46th annual production run and local kids are getting a chance to experience it.
This week the Bakersfield City Ballet and the Civic Dance Center teamed up with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools to bring more than 6,000 students in field trips to watch the Young People’s Concert, a slightly shorter version of the Nutcracker.
“For a lot of the kids attending, this is their first experience ever in a theater,” said Erica Ueberroth, Executive Artistic Director of the Civic Dance Center.
Ueberroth says it’s a thrill to be able to introduce so many kids to a live ballet and concert. “Art has the ability to inspire or transform lives, ignite a passion that maybe they haven’t been exposed to yet in just the academic realm.”
The Young People’s Concert is tailored specifically to kids. The performance consists of a few classic dance pieces from the full Nutcracker production, plus a peek behind the scenes at how a ballet works, and commentary from Kern County Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Mendiburu.
The full production of the Nutcracker is running now through Sunday, December 10.
More than 6,000 students from across the county took in
The Nutcracker during field trips.
The majority of performers are school-age children the between ages of 6 to 17.
Kids were given a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a live ballet performance.
The cast joined students in the lobby for a meet-and-greet after the show.
By Katie Avery
Katie Avery joined the Kern County Superintendent of Schools in 2023 as a Communications Specialist. As a former journalist and marketing professional, her passions include media and storytelling. Before joining KCSOS, Avery worked for various local TV stations as well as the health care industry.