Ballet Des Moines: The Nutcracker

Ballet Des Moines: The Nutcracker at Hoyt Sherman Place Theater

Clara receives a nutcracker. It comes to life. She enters a world where toys battle, snowflakes dance, and sweets celebrate in a kingdom built from imagination. The Nutcracker remains one of those stories that works because it understands childhood wonder, and Ballet Des Moines brings it to Hoyt Sherman Place Theater in Des Moines on Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM. Tchaikovsky's score drives the emotion, and the Heartland Youth Choir adds voices to a production designed to pull you into Clara's journey.

December asks a lot of you. Shopping lists, obligations, schedules that leave little room for anything that feels like celebration. This performance gives you permission to stop managing the season and actually experience it. Watching dancers interpret Tchaikovsky's music with the Heartland Youth Choir also featured reminds you why this story has lasted more than a century. It’s an occasion to make space for performance during a busy month.

Bring the kids who need to see something larger than a screen. Bring your partner and remember what it feels like to sit together without checking the time. A ballet outing can give your holiday plans a focus beyond the errands. Explore tickets for Ballet Des Moines: The Nutcracker and make a date with Clara’s holiday story.