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Bring the magic to your students
Now Booking K–12 Field Trips for the 2026-2027 Season!
Inspire the next generation of artists and dreamers with our school-day performances, specially adapted for young audiences. These shortened productions offer the beauty of ballet in an accessible, engaging format for students of all ages.
dates
Lewis Family Playhouse: Dec 5th & 6th
Bridges Auditorium: Dec 19th & 20th
VenuEs
Lewis Family Playhouse
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Bridges Auditorium
Claremont, CA
Run Time
1 hour, 45 minutes
(plus intermission)
RECOMmENDED AGES
5 and up
Tickets
Lewis Family Playhouse on sale now
Bridges Auditorium coming soon
Please use the BUY TICKETS link on this page to purchase with confidence. Tickets for all Lewis Family Playhouse performances are available only through the Lewis Family Playhouse Box Office or our official website (www.LewisFamilyPlayhouse.com). We cannot guarantee the validity of tickets purchased through third-party sellers, and prices from unauthorized websites may be significantly higher than face value.
The Nutcracker
A Holiday Tradition Your Family Will Treasure!
Experience the magic of the holidays with family and friends at southern California’s most spectacular production of The Nutcracker from critically acclaimed Inland Pacific Ballet. This annual production tells the story of a young girl named Clara who receives a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve and sets out on a wondrous journey to the Land of the Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets.
The Nutcracker comes to life in this magnificent ballet with beautiful sets, dazzling costumes, Tchaikovsky’s classic score, and more than 80 dancers on stage. Toy soldiers, life-sized dancing dolls, falling snow, a fantastic dream with battling mice, dancing snowflakes, waltzing flowers, gingerbread characters, and the delightful Sugar Plum Fairy stir the imagination. This is family entertainment at its best!
performance dates
guest artists
Mira Nadon
New York City Ballet
Appearances
Performing at the Fox Performing Arts Center on December 20 – 21, 2025
Biography
Mira Nadon was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and began her ballet training at the age of six at the Inland Pacific Ballet Academy in Montclair, California. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of NYCB, in 2014 and 2015, before entering SAB full-time for the 2015 winter term. In November 2017, Ms. Nadon became an apprentice with NYCB. She joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2018. Ms. Nadon was promoted to the rank of soloist in January 2022, and to principal in February 2023. Ms. Nadon has danced as a guest at the Vail Dance Festival and Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival and has performed as a member of Ballet Collective. She is the recipient of the 2021 Clive Barnes Award for dance and is a 2022 Princess Grace Award winner.
Peter Walker
New York City Ballet
Appearances
Performing at the Fox Performing Arts Center on December 20 – 21, 2025
Biography
Peter Walker is from Fort Myers, Florida, where he began his early dance training at age eight with teacher Judy Murray in tap dance and the next year at the Gulfshore Ballet with Melinda Roy. Mr. Walker began studying at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of the New York City Ballet, during the 2006 and 2007 summer courses and enrolled as a full-time student in the winter of 2007. In the spring of 2011, Mr. Walker became an apprentice with NYCB and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in Fall 2012. In October 2018, Walker was promoted to soloist at the NYCB, and in February 2022 he was promoted to principal dancer. Mr. Walker was the recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2011.
Lori Hernández
Freelance Artist
Appearances
Performing at the Bridges Auditorium on December 13 – 14, 2025
Biography
Ms. Hernández is originally from San Diego, California. She received her pre-professional training at the San Diego Academy of Ballet (SDAB) under the direction of Sylvia Tchernychev. Lori has had the opportunity to perform multiple principal roles from ballets such as The Nutcracker, Paquita, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty Swan Lake,
Giselle and Le Corsaire among others. Lori is currently one of the most high-profile guest principal artists in the world, with an audience of over 1.2 million followers on TikTok. Committed to redefining the role of a ‘ballerina’, Lori is merging her traditional Vaganova training with the
freedom of a guest artist; a choice which has opened up limitless opportunities with dancers and locations worldwide including original contemporary works.
Brian Heil
City Ballet of San Diego
Appearances
Performing at the Bridges Auditorium on December 13 – 14, 2025
Biography
Brian Heil, a native San Diegan, received his early training at the San Diego Academy of Ballet under Max and Sylvia Tchernychev. In May 2014, he graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he trained under John Meehan, then he danced two years as an apprentice in the Ballet Austin II program.
Since joining City Ballet of San Diego in 2016, Brian has performed in Ramonda Variations, Bowed Piano, Esmeralda and the Hunchback, Carmen, Tchai Celebration, Straw Feet, Rhapsody in Blue and Don Quixote. He also performed in Peter Martins’Hallelujah Junction, George Balanchine’s Rubies, The Four Temperamentsand Who Cares?. He has been featured in Geoff Gonzalez’s Seasons and Carmina Burana and Elizbeth Wistrich’s Samuel Barber Adagio. He also performed in the Company’s virtual productions Moving Forward, A Masquerade Nutcracker, Rhapsody in Blue and Raymonda during the 2020-21 Season.
Most recently, Brian made his choreographic debut with the company. During City Ballet’s production of On the Move, he premiered his work Moonlit to rave reviews.
Health & Safety
The safety and comfort of our guests, performers, and staff are our top priority. Please review the following guidelines before attending a performance:
- Stay Home if Unwell: We kindly ask that any guests experiencing symptoms of illness refrain from attending.
- Respect Shared Space: Please be mindful of those around you; avoid blocking aisles, and supervise children at all times.
- Emergency Procedures: In the event of an emergency, please follow instructions from venue staff promptly and calmly.
These policies are subject to change based on current public health recommendations.
ADA Accomodations
Bridges Auditorium: Individuals needing special assistance (ADA, allergies, etc.) should notify Pomona College – Bridges Auditorium Box Office staff.
In the News
Inland Pacific Ballet featured on KTLA!
See how The Nutcracker brings holiday magic to life. Watch Now!
As seen in Dance Chronicle!
Discover the surprising twists in Inland Pacific Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Read More!
New York Times, May 29, 2024
At City Ballet, a Once-in-a-Generation Dancer Arrives
Dance Magazine, Cover Story, September 26, 2024
The Diamond: New York City Ballet Principal Mira Nadon’s Brilliance Has Many Facets
