San Antonio Youth Ballet Presents First Contactless Drive-In ‘Nutcracker Under the Stars’
San Antonio Youth Ballet, a nonprofit program of the San Antonio Ballet School, presents “Nutcracker Under the Stars,” San Antonio’s first and only live performance of the famous Nutcracker Suite in an outdoor drive-in theater, located near Brooks City Base on a custom-built stage.
This fourth annual event from the San Antonio Youth Ballet has creatively pivoted to enable completely contactless holiday entertainment for the whole family. The San Antonio Ballet School is a small, African American and woman-owned business.
“We needed to keep this family tradition alive for San Antonio! Having this performance outside at a drive-in will allow both our performers and our guests to be very safe. We hope people can feel comfortable coming out. They can simply drive up and drive away with zero contact with anybody else, if they so choose,” said Danielle Campbell Steans, Director of the San Antonio Youth Ballet. “But the show must go on!”
It was Ms. Campbell Stean’s idea to build an outdoor stage at the drive-in theater. She was inspired by one of her young and highly talented students, Prince Hightower, who broke his femur last year and has been rehabilitating all of 2020.
“Part of my drive to push for a performance this year was to get Prince back on stage quickly so he doesn’t lose motivation to keep going. He’s only 10-years-old, so people may be surprised at how well he bounced back. He’ll be performing one of our lead roles in the Nutcracker,” said Ms. Campbell Steans.
The all-youth cast for this performance ranges from 5 to 17, but these young ballet dancers are notably seasoned and have competed and performed at various venues and events all across the city, including the Carver, Witte Museum, McNay and Fiesta.
Like most, the Nutcracker Suite is typically the bread and butter for the San Antonio Youth Ballet and funds their programming for the entire year. It enables them to provide scholarships to students in underserved communities.
“It goes to a good cause,” explained Ms. Campbell Steans. “The looks on these kids’ faces when they see each other is just priceless. They love each other so much, and they love dance, and when you see how diverse a company we are, it makes us all just so proud. We successfully represent a lot of diverse ethnicities, and we want to continue to do that. We appreciate everyone’s support, even more so this year and during such unpredictable times.”
LOCATION:
Mission Outdoor Theater
8069 Challenger Drive
San Antonio, TX 78235
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Nov. 27, 28
Dec. 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20
TIME:
6:30 – 8:30 PM
TICKET LINK HERE!
COST:
$50 – $100
For more information on the San Antonio Youth Ballet, visit sanantonioballetschool.com/san-antonio-youth-ballet.
Socials: Facebook @sanantonioballetschool and Instagram @saballetschool
