IU Ballet Theater to present 'The Nutcracker' this weekend

The IU Ballet Theater will present Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" at the Musical Arts Center this weekend.\nChoreographed by Jacques Cesbron, the ballet has been performed every holiday season at IU since 1958. "The Nutcracker" tells the story of Clara, a young girl who receives a nutcracker as a gift from her grandfather on Christmas Eve. When she falls asleep embracing the wooden figurine, she has magical dreams of dancing snowflakes and a sugar plum fairy. \nIU ballet students, who have been preparing for nearly six weeks, will perform the ballet. Shows take place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.\nThis is Cesbron's ninth year choreographing "The Nutcracker" at IU, ballet department chair Michael Vernon said. \nTickets can be purchased at the MAC box office or online through Ticketmaster.com. They range in price from $18-$35.\nAt 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the MAC lobby, audience members will have the chance to meet "The Nutcracker" characters at the Nutcracker Tea. The seventh annual event allows family and children to meet the prominent characters represented by dancers of the IU Ballet Theater. \nTickets for the Nutcracker Tea can only be purchased at the MAC box office for $7.