Return of The Nutcracker

COEUR d'ALENE - Last year, for the first time since 2005, Debi Terracciano wasn't able to schedule a Eugene Ballet Company performance of "The Nutcracker" in Coeur d'Alene.

Boy, did she hear about it.

"I had so many phone calls, it was unbelievable," she said. "We really do want Nutcracker in Coeur d'Alene."

This year, no worries. No need for those phone calls, either.

It's back.

The Nutcracker by the Eugene Ballet Company and 52 local children is scheduled 7 p.m. Tuesday at the North Idaho College Schuler Performing Arts Center. The show is an hour and 40 minutes, with an intermission.

Terracciano, owner of Le Danse Studio in Coeur d'Alene, is the sponsor of the production that promises to pack the house and deliver plenty of holiday cheer. It's not Christmas, she said, without The Nutcracker.

"I just love providing it," she said. "From the minute it starts I have a smile on my face."

Each show, each year, has stood out.

"It makes me just as happy as the first time," Terracciano said.

Children ages 5 to 18 will dance while playing the roles of baby mice, angels and ladybugs. They're ready to go and will deliver great performances, Terracciano said. Weekly rehearsals have prepared them to share the stage with The Eugene Ballet Company.

"It's looking excellent," she said. "It took a lot of work to get it here."

The Nutcracker will be a treat for both kids (3 and older) and adults. Families will love the live theater production as a way to kick off the season. It's the stuff of dreams for girls and boys, she said.

"It's going to really make their holiday begin," Terracciano said. "It just lights you up and it makes you happy and it makes you feel good."

Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for those 18 and younger, $15 for seniors and NIC students. They can be purchased at the NIC Box Office, 769-7780, or cdasummertheatre.com.

If you go

The Nutcracker by the Eugene Ballet Company, joined by 52 local children, is scheduled 7 p.m. Tuesday at the North Idaho College Schuler Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for those 18 and under, $15 for seniors and NIC students. They can be purchased at the NIC Box Office, 769-7780, or cdasummertheatre.com.