Distinctly Montana Magazine

28 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 5 I F YOU HAVE EVER SEEN THE NUTCRACKER PERFORMED AT CHRISTMAS BY A BALLET TROUPE, then you know what joy looks like on the faces of amazed boys and girls—and de- lighted adults, too. For millions across the world—and more to our point, for thousands of Montanans—the tradition of attend- ing the Nutcracker has become a tradition as sacred as the old Tannenbaum. For a lot of us, it just doesn't feel like the holidays without watching the Rat King get his. To think there was a time before the ballet came to Montana, and it wasn't all that long ago. We don't know about you, but we're glad that we don't have to live in those barbarous before times. It's hard to say exactly when the first ballet was performed in Montana, but it is unlikely to have been before the 1950s. We can tell you with certainty when the Montana Ballet Company launched its first performance of The Nutcracker in 1983, using the lobby of First Security Bank for a stage. Since then, it has grown by leaps and bounds (literal and metaphorical), making it its mission to "present the highest caliber dance performances, offer the finest quality training, and provide meaningful access to the arts." Now they invite you to attend CONNECTIONS 2025 on June 13th, the annual and long-standing tradition of bringing world- class dancers to Montana for a series of outstanding solo and group repertory performances. This year, works by Balanchine, Wheeldon, and others will be performed by world-class dancers from around the nation and the world. It's a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the year-round variety of the same kind of joy that animates the faces of youngsters and ballet lovers at that Christmas Nutcracker performance. Should your little ballerina or ballerino discover a latent passion for dance, the Montana Ballet Company Academy offers a wide va- riety of programs that might be the perfect fit for them. Finally, in service of achieving its vision of "enrich and inspire the minds and spirits of our community," Montana Ballet Com- pany has also created Discover Dance, which offers thousands of Gallatin County children the chance to engage with dance and performance in the classroom, as well as an Adaptive Dance pro- gram that teaches Down syndrome children the basics of ballet and creative movement. For more information, visit www.montanaballet.org/ to learn more about Montana Ballet Company, its mission, and your op- portunities to get involved. Montana Ballet Company C NNECTS

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