'Nutcracker' Continues Bellevue Run This Week

Kirkland’s International Ballet Theatre completes its Bellevue run of 2012 "Nutcracker" performances Wednesday through Sunday, a great way to ring in the holiday season. The IBT raised the curtain on this year's production Friday, Dec. 14, at Meydenbauer.

Here’s how IBT describes the show:

“IBT's classical production features brilliant costumes and sets from Ukraine and principal dancers from Russia. Passed down through generations for more than a century, The Nutcracker ballet preserves the classical artistry first created by Tchaikovsky and Petipa in St. Petersburg in 1892. IBT performs The Nutcracker ballet in its traditional Russian style with extraordinarily beautiful costumes and tremendous pageantry, including exotic Arabian dancers, a fierce battle scene with lifelike cavalry, soldiers and mice, elegant corps de ballet snowflakes, and of course the beautiful ballerina, Clara, and her handsome prince.”

To learn more about show times and for tickets, click here.

For previous Patch articles about IBT and its International School of Classical Ballet:

• Click here for a piece about artistic director Vera Altunina, who founded IBT in 2001 after having served as Ballet Master and choreographer from the State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia.

• Click here for a story about one of IBT's dancers, Clarissa Lambert (shown in the attached photo).