The beloved two-act ballet returns this December! Performed by the professional company and the charming addition of over 120 local children, NOBT will present 9 performances at the Orpheum Theater for the upcoming holiday season.

Come see this classic Christmas tale and experience the incredible talent that is New Orleans Ballet Theatre’s company of dancers, stunning sets and costumes, and the iconic score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The holiday season isn’t complete without The Nutcracker, and NOBT’s production is not one to be missed!

Approximate Run Time: 2 Hours with one intermission

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*Concerto Barocco*. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust by arrangement with the American rights holder, New York City Ballet

DIRECTOR’S CUT

February 1st, 2025

The Civic Theater

510 O’Keefe Ave, New Orleans 70113

Tickets ON SALE SOON

Season subscribers will have the option to add on this program at discounted rates.

Saturday, Feb. 1st: 2:00pm

Saturday, Feb. 1st: 8:00pm

A triple bill featuring 3 ballets, including a new world premiere by resident choreographer Oliver Halkowich.

“Concerto Barocco”

Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust by arrangement with the American rights holder, New York City Ballet

First premiered in 1941, Concerto Barocco epitomizes the purity in musical representation characteristic of George Balanchine’s work. One of his most famous plotless ballets with minimal costuming, the ballet is dedicated to the complete embodiment and visualization of the music, Bach’s Double Violin Concerto.

“Patriotism”

Choreography by Artistic Director Gregory Schramel.

First premiered for NOBT in 2011. Inspired by the Yukio Mishima short story by the same name, Patriotism tells the tale of a young arm officer whose dedication to the samurai code ultimately leads to his ritual suicide. Ecstasy and impending morality are frighteningly intertwined in this macabre dance of death. Sepukku, once considered an honorable form of protest in Japan, is now shunned.

World Premiere

Choreography by Oliver Halkowich

Join us for a world premiere by celebrated resident choreographer Oliver Halkowich, choreographer of NOBT’s Romeo + Juliet (2023) and Dracula (2024).

Oliver Halkowich grew up in South Florida. He performed in Miami City Ballet's first Nutcracker at the age of seven, fell in love with both Tchaikovsky and ballet and migrated west to train at the San Francisco Ballet School. In 2001, he began his professional dance career with the Boston Ballet. A year later, he settled on middle ground in Texas. He joined Houston Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member in 2002 and rose through the ranks to First Soloist, dancing 19 seasons with the company. He has danced a variety of classical, contemporary and character roles: Alain in Sir Frederick Ashton's the misunderstood stepsister in Stanton Welch's Cinderella, the jazzy couple in red in George Balanchine's Rubies and the bulldog sailor in Jerome Robbin's Fancy Free. He has also performed in work by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Hans Van Manen, Christopher Bruce, Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson OBE, Justin Peck, Aszure Barton and Jerome Robbins, among others. Oliver has choreographed for Houston Ballet, Dance Alive National Ballet, Houston Contemporary Dance company, Mercury Ensemble, the Texas Contemporary Art Fair, the Blaffer Museum, Houston Cinema Arts Society and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Alongside his good friends and fellow dancers, Melody Mennite and Connor Walsh, he co-produces REACH, a platform for Houston dancers and choreographers to create new work while raising money for arts education. He debuted his first solo commission for Houston Ballet’s 50th Anniversary season in 2019, and choreographed NOBT’s production of “Romeo + Juliet” in May 2023 before joining the NOBT staff full-time in the fall of 2023. Oliver’s latest full-length creation of “Dracula” premiered May 2024 to critical acclaim and due to popular demand returned to the Orpheum in October 2024.

Felicia McPhee. David L’Hoste Photography

GISELLE

May 10th-11th, 2025

The Orpheum Theater

129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans 70112

Individual Tickets On Sale

May 10th: 8:00pm

May 11th: 2:00pm

With music composed by Adolphe Adam and original choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, Giselle first premiered in France to immediate success on June 28th, 1841 with Carlotta Grisi in the title role. With it's beautiful music, graceful choreography, and heartfelt story, this romantic ballet has endured the test of time; 183 years later, Giselle continues to be one of the most well-known and loved classical ballets of all time. Adaptations of the original choreography have been passed down through the generations, with the restating by Marius Petipa in the 1880s for the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg being the most notable.

David L’Hoste Photography

Earlier this 2024-2025 Season

DRACULA

October 18th-30th, 2024

Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center

1202 3rd Street, Alexandria LA 71301

October 18th: 8:00pm

October 19th: 2:00pm

The Orpheum Theater

129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans 70112

Individual Tickets On Sale

*Costumes Encouraged!

October 26th: 8:00pm

October 27th: 2:00pm

October 27th: 7:00pm

October 30th: 8:00pm

Back by popular demand, don’t miss NOBT’s newest production choreographed by Oliver Halkowich.

“I sometimes think we must all be mad and that we shall wake to sanity in straight-waistcoats,” Dr. Seward bemoans, as he is pulled into a world of darkness.

Inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel, this ballet will go into the mind of our protagonist, Jonathan Harker, on his journey to Count Dracula’s castle and his inner reckoning with his own darkness and his love, Mina, who fights to bring him back to the light.

Using a mix of musical genres, this production will transport you into a world of seduction, lust, and forbidden desire and our eternal obsession over good versus bad.

Suitable for most ages. Please note: Use of strobe lighting at the end of Act 1 may affect patrons with sensitivities.

Approximate Run Time: 2 hours with one intermission

*COSTUMES ENCOURAGED: Have fun with it! There will be a Costume Contest during Intermission of each performance: Winners with receive tickets to NOBT’s remaining productions of the season.