Yellowstone Ballet Co. offers free child ticket to The Nutcracker

Yellowstone Ballet Company (YBC) is offering a FREE child ticket for every adult ticket purchase to their 28th annual production of The Nutcracker. Performances take place at 4:30pm on Saturday, December 15th and 2pm on Sunday, December 16th at the Willson Auditorium in Bozeman.
Children may come dressed as the Snow King or Queen, the Sugar Plum Fairy or any other Nutcracker character. Prizes will be awarded for best costume during the intermission of both performances, along with a free gift for every child in attendance.
                  Performing the starring role of the Nutcracker Prince is Yellowstone Ballet School alumnus, and local favorite, Parsifal Pittendorfer. Mr. Pittendorfer has been known to stun audiences with his out-of-orbit leaps, male bravura, exceptional acting and partnering skills. He was the winner of the Montana Dance Arts Association Blanche Judge Memorial Scholarship and was awarded full scholarships to train at San Francisco Ballet School, Ellison Ballet in New York, Orlando Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theatre. He danced professionally with State Street Ballet, Santa Barbara and Ben Stevenson’s Texas Ballet Theatre and is a national guest artist.
Annie Valle will dance the role of the Rat Queen. She danced on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet in New York City, and with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She has a degree in Agroecology from the University of Wyoming and lives on her husband’s family ranch in Martinsdale with their two children and an assortment of dogs, horses, cows, chickens, etc. She is the director of Martinsdale Ballet. The dynamic duo of Ms. Valle and Mr. Pittendorfer will add some exciting, magical moments to the production.
The role of Clara – the girl who dreams that her Nutcracker is really a prince – will be danced by thirteen-year-old Emah Eckert. As an aspiring ballerina, Miss Eckert makes the two and a half hour trip from Tower Junction, Yellowstone National Park, to Livingston and Bozeman six days a week for classes and rehearsals.
Erin Levy and Genevieve Trygstad-Burke, co-artistic directors of Raison D’être Dance Project (RDE), enhance the production with their troupe of dancers in the Snow scene and the Waltz of the Flowers. This new Bozeman dance company (founded in 2017) has created stirs in the Montana dance community with their bold choreography, inspirational themes and involvement with other artists and organizations.
YBC’s family friendly production of The Nutcracker has delighted thousands with sixty-eight performances in Livingston, Great Falls, Lewistown, Bozeman, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Livingston. All ages will enjoy the magical and colorful characters and enchanting story.
Reserved tickets for YBC’s The Nutcracker are available at Eckroth Music in Bozeman (corner of 7th and Mendenhall) or online at www.yellowstoneballet.info. Tickets are $25–$55. Each adult ticket purchase qualifies for one free child ticket. A service fee of $2 will be added to tickets sold at the door.
For more information or group rates, call (406) 223-0430 or email yellowstoneballet@gmail.com.