THE NUTCRACKER SCHOOL SHOWS
AT THE LONG CENTER
Sponsored by H-E-B and the Powell Foundation. Endowed by Edie Rogat & Cotter Cunningham through the Ballet Austin Foundation.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Each year, more than 8,800 Central Texas elementary school students and teachers attend Ballet Austin’s The Nutcracker School Shows. The mission of these student matinees is to provide one act of a professional ballet performance at a minimal cost for local elementary-aged students.
To enhance students’ experience, we also offer The Nutcracker Docent Program in-person and virtually. This is an optional pre-performance educational program geared towards 3rd graders that includes engaging activities for the classroom setting.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Registration Requirements:
- Admission is limited to Kindergarten through 5th Grade students and their teachers and chaperones. No children younger than Kindergarten or older than 5th Grade are allowed to attend. Chaperones must be 18 years of age or older.
- A minimum of 10 students and one teacher per school is required for registration. Groups with less than 10 students may purchase tickets to a public performance of The Nutcracker.
- A minimum of 2,000 registered students is required to proceed with any of the shows.
- We invite schools to register for either Act I or Act II. Groups wanting to attend both acts may purchase tickets to a public performance of The Nutcracker.
- For student safety, all teachers and chaperones attending in-person must have been registered and paid for by the school before November 6, 2026.
- All school employees must wear official school identification.
- For all parent chaperones:
- The school must purchase their tickets as a part of the school’s registration before November 6
- The school must provide a list of approved and paid-for parent chaperones to Ballet Austin by Friday, December 4
- Parent chaperones must wear a school visitor ID stickers issued on the day of the school show
- Parent chaperones must be present to help escort students to and from the theater
- For the safety of the students attending these shows, all other adults will not be allowed to enter the theater. If a chaperone’s name is not provided to Ballet Austin by December 4, they will not be allowed to enter the theater.
- All reservations must be confirmed by Ballet Austin. After you submit your registration information, you will receive an order confirmation via email signaling that your reservation is confirmed.
- All payments must be received before your campus attends The Nutcracker School Shows.
- All schools attending these shows must follow the arrival and departure instructions provided by Ballet Austin and the Long Center.
Please note:
- Tickets will not be sold to individuals for these performances. All tickets must be purchased through the school, and all persons attending with a school must be included in the school’s attendance numbers by November 6, 2026.
- These shows sell out in advance, therefore, no tickets will be sold at the theater on performance days. All tickets must be purchased by November 6, 2026.
- Please be prepared for potentially long wait times and long lines when entering and exiting the theater.
You will need the following information when you register:
- School name and district
- Registrant’s contact info (name and email)
- Bookkeeper’s contact info (name and email)
- Email addresses of all teachers who will be attending
- The grade level(s) of students attending the show
- Total # of students attending
- Total # of teachers and aides attending
- Total # of classrooms attending
- Title I status for your campus
- The date and time you prefer to attend the school shows
- Total # of students with special needs attending, as well as types of special needs
- Total # of aides to accompany students with special needs
- Whether your school plans to arrive on bus or cars, and the total number of vehicles
- School contact information (address and phone numbers)
- Whether or not your campus would like to request an in-person Docent presentation
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES
TICKET PRICES (FOR ONE ACT OF THE BALLET)
Chaperone Policy:
- Chaperones must be 18 years of age or older.
- For the safety of all students, any chaperones without a school ID or visitor ID sticker from the school will not be allowed into the theater.
- Chaperones who are not included on an approved chaperone list submitted by the school by December 4, 2026, and who arrive separately from the school, will not be allowed to enter the theater.
IMPORTANT DATES
Please enter the following dates in your calendar now to insure you meet all registration and payment deadlines.
PAYMENT OPTIONS & INFO
- Ballet Austin accepts EFT/ACH payments from several school districts, including AISD and Hutto ISD. If your district prefers payment by EFT/ACH and does not have that set up with us yet, please contact us to do so.
- Checks and credit card payments are accepted.
- No purchase orders are accepted as payment.
- There are no refunds for The Nutcracker School Shows performances.
THE NUTCRACKER SCHOOL SHOWS DOCENT PROGRAM
Each year in conjunction with The Nutcracker School Shows, Ballet Austin offers optional The Nutcracker Docent Program free of charge! The multi-media presentation engages students in educational content and helps to contextualize their experience with a live ballet performance. The program meets 3rd grade TEKS for Fine Arts, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and includes fun elements such as video excerpts and simple dance activities. The in-person version of the Docent Program provides real pointe shoes and ballet slippers, actual costumes from past productions, and a Q&A session during which students can have all of their questions answered.
REGISTRATION
Registration opens on Wednesday, September 9 at 10am.
THE NUTCRACKER School Shows Sponsor
Endowed in part by the generosity of Edie Rogat & Cotter Cunningham through the Ballet Austin Foundation
Education Underwriter
Education Sponsors
