Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker Brings Magic to Every Generation

There’s a trick to watching Houston Ballet’s Christmas extravaganza, The Nutcracker. The first half of the show is all glitter and spectacle. It’s aimed at the kids in the audience, wowing them with lots of “Did you see that?” moments.

The second half, when most of the younger audience members have fallen asleep in their seats, is aimed at the adults in the audience. There are endless pirouettes, impressive leaps, and a huge array of international characters.

Choreographed by Stanton Welch, Houston Ballet’s co-artistic director, this production of The Nutcracker is in its ninth year. Set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the classical ballet follows Clara, a young girl at a huge holiday party where she’s given an exquisite nutcracker that comes to life and takes her to the Land of Sweets on a magical adventure.

The role of Clara will be performed by various members of the company, including Gretel Batista. The 32-year-old corps de ballet member, now in her seventh season with the Houston Ballet, identifies with the “plus” segment of the LGBTQ+ community. “I’m a unicorn,” she laughs.

Dancing in The Nutcracker is a rite of passage for ballet dancers. Starting at age five or six, they are angels or mice with the singular task of bourréeing across the stage (taking quick, teeny, tiny steps) or cheering on the Rat King. 

Slightly older children dance in the party scene in the first act as guests. They continue there until they are perhaps selected to play the role of Clara or the Prince, as well as the guests in the second act.

“I remember when I first got to be a Sugarplum; it was a dream come true for me,” says Batista. “When you’re a little girl, you’re on the side of the stage. You dream of the day when it will be you dancing Clara.”

The students at the Houston Ballet Academy are cast in the production as young as six years old. “They’re very serious,” Batista says. “They’re so excited and nervous to be around the company members. They’re so disciplined and so serious about their roles. They’re little professionals already. They have to audition. I think it’s amazing for them to go through an audition process at such a young age.”

This season, Batista plays some ten characters. Along with Clara, she’s the grandmother, a snow flurry, and both a Chinese and a Spanish dancer, among others.

“Because we do so many shows, it keeps it fresh,” says Batista. “And it’s fun to do different roles. Every performance, there are kids in the audience who are seeing The Nutcracker for the first time. They’ve never seen it before, and we want it to be magical for them. By doing different roles over the run of the show, we keep it fresh and fun—for both the audience and dancers.”

As the student dancers age and increase in skill, they rise up the ranks in the cast. “It’s interesting to see the growth from year to year,” says Batista. “When the casting comes out, you go to the board to see what role you have, and each year, it’s different. You grow into your new roles. Each role becomes special because you were looking up to it for so many years before you got to dance it. All your energy goes into that role, making it the best you can.”

The Nutcracker season is intense for the entire Houston Ballet family. Backstage craftspeople—from wig makers to costume designers and makeup artists, musicians to lighting and set crews, and dozens of dancers—are all involved. “It’s exhausting; it’s like a marathon,” says Batista. “When you count the full rehearsals and performances, it’s more than 40 shows. With rehearsals, it’s a two-month process. So yes, it’s lots of fun, but it’s a lot of work, too!”

Asked if she has any special holiday traditions to celebrate Christmas, Batista laughs and says, “I rest! Christmas is the only day off that we have during The Nutcracker season, so I rest.”

WHAT: Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker
WHEN: November 28–December 28, 2025; there will be a special LGBTQ Out at the Ballet reception before the performance on Friday, December 12.
WHERE: Wortham Theater Center
INFO: Visit houstonballet.org