Janie Sparkle is back, and she wants just one thing this Christmas: for all her wishes to come true. That is the setup for Christmas Dreams, the holiday production returning to Williamsburg with three performances scheduled for Dec. 12 and 13, 2026, at Kimball Theatre.
The show is presented by Institute for Dance, according to Williamsburg Families, which lists the performances as a Saturday matinee on Dec. 12 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., followed by two shows on Dec. 13 — a 1 p.m. matinee and a 5 p.m. evening performance. All three are set for Kimball Theatre at 428 W. Duke of Gloucester St. in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Per institutefordance.org, Christmas Dreams is billed as a unique-to-Williamsburg show, and the plot follows Janie as an unexpected incident pulls her into an enchanted world where nothing is as it seems. The same source describes the production as written, choreographed, narrated, and performed entirely by iDance, with support from the community.
A Local Alternative With a Few Years of History
That framing of iDance's role has shifted slightly over the years. A 2022 description from williamsburgvisitor.com characterized the show as written, choreographed, propped, narrated and performed almost entirely by the local dance studio — a wording that differs from the institute's current site, though both agree the production is largely homegrown.
The show has shown staying power on the area's holiday calendar. The Daily Press noted in 2023 that Christmas Dreams is a regular on holiday schedules, and a 2023 ticketing page from tickets.shovation.com stated that Institute for Dance, Inc. was presenting Christmas Dreams as that year's holiday show, adding that residents and visitors alike have made it part of their Williamsburg holiday traditions.
Positioned as a Break From Typical Holiday Fare
Institute for Dance frames Christmas Dreams as an alternative to the usual holiday productions, according to the same institutefordance.org listing, rather than a straightforward retelling of a familiar Christmas story. With Janie Sparkle's wish-driven journey into the unknown serving as the throughline, the production leans into that enchanted, unpredictable setting as its hook for audiences looking for something different this season.
Tickets for the December performances are available through the production's ticketing page, as noted by Williamsburg Families. Families weighing holiday plans now have three set times across the weekend of Dec. 12 and 13 to catch the show at Kimball Theatre.
