Dozens of young dancers from across the Twin Cities lined up Friday to audition for Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy, the holiday ballet that will bring more than 100 local kids onto the State Theatre stage alongside professional performers this December. The production, which runs December 12 through 20, pairs its cast with a live 44-piece orchestra for a run that has become one of the region's signature winter traditions.
The audition, held Friday, capped a five-day preparatory intensive that ran from Monday through Friday and cost $300 for dancers ages 6 through 18, according to A Dancer's Place Productions, the company now staging the ballet. As FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reports, local dancers will perform alongside professional artists when the show opens in December. The workshop covered choreography spanning roles from the Littlest Mouse to the Sugar Plum Fairy, and it was open to dancers regardless of which studio they train with.
A Show With Deep Twin Cities Roots
Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy first premiered during the 1964 holiday season with the Children's Dance Theatre, the company that would later become Minnesota Dance Theatre, making it the longest-running annual fine arts event in the state, per the University of Minnesota Libraries. Houlton had established the dance company behind the production in 1962 under the name Contemporary Dance Playhouse before officially renaming it Minnesota Dance Theatre in 1969, according to background compiled from her history as one of the first American women to earn international acclaim as a choreographer and director. Since that 1964 debut, the ballet has been performed for more than 1.6 million audience members across six decades, First Avenue notes.
Last year's staging drew more than 100 student dancers representing over 20 Twin Cities dance schools performing alongside the professional cast for thousands of attendees, the same account states. That scale of youth participation is expected again this December, with auditions open to dancers regardless of home studio affiliation.
New Producer, Same Choreography
The 2026 run marks a continued transition in who controls the production. In 2024, former New York City Ballet dancer Kaitlyn Gilliland, who trained under Loyce and Lise Houlton, founded A Dancer's Place Productions to stage the ballet independently following licensing changes with Minnesota Dance Theatre. Gilliland previously earned the Mae L. Wien Award at the School of American Ballet, and her company has preserved Houlton's original choreography while opening participation to independent dance academies across the region.
The live score remains a hallmark of the production. Conductors Philip Brunelle and Steve Amundson will lead the 44-piece Nutcracker Orchestra accompanying the December performances at the State Theatre, according to Hennepin Arts, which manages the venue.
Inside the Historic State Theatre
The State Theatre itself carries its own century-long history. The Minneapolis venue, which seats 2,181 patrons, opened on February 5, 1921, as an elaborate vaudeville and silent movie house designed by Chicago architect J.E.O. Pridmore, per the City of Minneapolis. It later fell into disrepair before the Minneapolis Community Development Agency acquired the theater block in 1989 and reopened the restored venue in November 1991 following an $8.8 million renovation, with ownership eventually transitioning to Hennepin Arts.
For families planning to attend the December run, Hennepin Arts offers $25 cash or credit public rush tickets and $30 rush tickets for students, educators, and industry workers, available in person starting two hours before showtime. Hoodline included the production in a 2018 weekend arts roundup, underscoring how long the ballet has anchored the city's holiday calendar even as its producers have changed.
