Birmingham Ballet Tickets

My husband and I were smiling the whole time. It was lovely.

This show was dog-gone adorable! The performers and dogs in the Muttcracker are not only wonderfully talented, but fun and energetic. Please note that purchasing a ticket to this unique production helps benefit the Humane Society of Birmingham. What a special twist to Birmingham Ballet's original Nutcracker!!!

I had never been to the ballet before. I just happened to notice the BJCC billboard flash the advertisement for the Mutt-Cracker, which showed a German Shepherd Dog and a young ballerina. My 3 year old is in ballet classes in Cullman, we have a GSD, and my daughter is animal crazy in general. I thought that it might be an enjoyable event for the whole family. I must have caught the advertisement right after tickets went on sale because when I looked up best available seats I found some on Row DD (4th row according to the online Concert Hall map). When we arrived we found that the first three rows were covered up as part of the extended stage, so we had front row seats! My girl was so excited through the event that it took everything we had to keep her off the stage. She wanted to participate! She would often would point and exclaim "what is that!" or "look!". She squeeled with delight when seeing the dogs, the young performers dressed as mice, sheep and other characters. I think it was the most exciting moment in her young life to date. The next day she was talking about it and showing us positions she had learned in ballet class. I personally was impressed with the ballet in general. Amazing self-discipline, strength, control and skills of expression! I am known as a rough and tough working man. I repair line-antenna systems hundreds of feet above the ground, love to hunt, do not often shy from adversity, etc. I thought I was going to the Mutt-Cracker only for the enjoment of my daughter but honestly I would have enjoyed it if I had went alone! I guess I discovered that I like ballet! I will call this a MUST-SEE for families with children, but also recommend it for anyone. BRAVO! Thank you Birmingham Ballet, we will see you again!

The lead dancer who played Odette reminded me of the Swan Lake I saw in St. Petersburg, Russia. Very beautiful. The theater is very intimate so I was able to see well and got caught up in the emotions portrayed by the dancers. The story came to life and my heart was moved. The swan sections were heritage ballet choreography and nicely done. The opening scene and ballroom were re-staged to include community cast children and adults. The children were particularly adorable and fun to watch. The mixture of professional and pre-professional dancers were well chosen for their roles -really enjoyable dancing at all levels. I've seen this company perform before, and I'd have to say that this was one of their best! BRAVO Birmingham Ballet.

I thought it was OK.. I expected much more. I'm not taking nothing away from the dancers,but it could have been better for the money I paid.

Not many ballet companies (fully professional or otherwise) dare take on this classic, but Birmingham Ballet pulled it off with outstanding success. International guest artists (Emi Hariyama and Sergio Alvarez) and a stellar group of local young professionals surrounded by a talented cast of rising young artists made this family friendly version of Swan Lake worthy of a standing ovation. Congratulations Birmingham Ballet and thank you for a truly remarkable and beautiful performance!

I attended all four performances of Birmingham Ballet's Swan Lake and enjoyed every moment of each production! This is a Community Ballet and it is delightful to see each level from the youngest five year old cast member to the most experienced and exciting internationally known quest professionals, Emi Hariyama and Sergio Alvarez. When Emi Hariyama came to Birmingham with pneumonia, two local dancers, Katherine Free and Elizabeth Lindsey stepped up to play Odette and Odille in the evening performances. No apologies necessary for that since both Professional Repertory Apprentices were polished and incredible in their roles. Kudos to Sergio Alvarez who partnered them skillfully! Other pros with outstanding performances were William-Michael Cooper as Benno, Katie Shelton, Kaitlin Winborn and Sarah Smedley. Also notable were Mario Gates as Von Rothbart and Kelly Milam, the prince's mother. Not to be overlooked are Repertory Company apprentices, Kathleen McCrary, Linnnea Blakemore and Haley Lockhart. Every dancer, youngest to oldest, rose to the occasion! Indeed, this is a Community Cast, and this community can be proud to say that it is.

Birmingham Ballet did a great job! More than I expected from a community ballet company. The guest professional dancers were awe inspiring and several members of the community group were professional caliber as well. And I enjoyed seeing all ages of children participating in this art form. If I wanted to spend $150 on a ticket and fly to NYC to see the very top ballet companies, I would. For my $45, it was an entertaining, well staged and well danced performance right here in my hometown. Thank you Birmingham Ballet!

The event was basically a "community theatre" production with unqualified dancers and children performing. How could they charge $45 per ticket for this event???

Based on the ticket pricing, I was expecting a more professional ballet performance. The group/cast had very young and inexperienced performers. Some parts of the show were great with professional level dancers but a large part of the show was not.

I prefer the other version of the Nutcracker with the symphony accompanying.

Maybe it's naiveté on my part, but the billing of this performance as a professional performance in Birmingham suggested a professional dance company - along with the BJCC venue and high ticket price. If you're kids participate, it was a fantastic recital - but professional rendition it was not and I do not feel it was worth the money by any stretch of the imagination. There was one visiting professional dancer - if the other performances were the same, my review would be much higher.

I hate to write a bad review, but I think Birmingham Ballet need to get their head out of the clouds and back down on the ground when it comes to ballet. This production was filled with odd characters and terrible choreography, but thats ok lets just make some people fly around that will make it ok…………. not. Ballet is supposed to be graceful and effortless……. The Sugar Plum Fairy was lacking. Clara needed to be on flats (tooooooo young. they are killing her feet.) What was that russian candy cane thing?????? On a good note. 2 of the Spanish was lovely and full of life. (bring them back out.) And the blue arabian and her partner were legit. The lifts were GREAT! Birmingham Ballet knows they can pinch a pretty penny of the parents of all the dancers families and friends……. hence the ONLY reason to pay $35+ to see this sad performance.

Took my grown children and now the past 8 yrs, the 3 grandchildren. The production is yearly refreshed. Our 2 year old was enthralled and sat through the complete performance. Having the ballerina's available for pictures afterward resulted in precious photographic memories of our 4 year old. Concessions are perfect for little wigglers! See you next year!!! The only negative-souvenirs, which have been part of the tradition, ran out BEFORE the performance. The same thing happened with the Grinch performance. Have vendors changed?

Having seen several interpretations of The Nutcracker, the Birmingham Ballet did a great job with their interpretation. My daughter, who is also a dancer and performs with the Chattanooga symphony when they want interpretive dance, was impressed with the performance.

Costuming, choreography, gymnastics, stage props, and humor made this an unforgettable Nutcracker experience. The ballet was marvelous. Seamless flow and understandable story, well linked to the music, were very professional. Time seemed to fly, and we were sorry it was over. Our many thanks to the 100's of performers and 1000's of hours they spent creating and training for this spectacular.

I went to this performance because my granddaughter's choral group was performing beforehand. The tickets were expensive, and I expected it to be professional. While there were some excellent performers, the venue was also an apparent recital for students and non-professionals. Needless to say, it was not what we expected for the price of the ticket. The animals were brought on stage randomly as part of the performance. Perhaps I misunderstood the intent, but I would not pay money to attend again.

Dancers were clearly well trained and well prepared in rehearsals. Given my experiences of seeing the complete Nutcracker with orchestral accompaniment (in larger urban venues), the shorted version with recorded music was somewhat disappointing, though quite entertaining.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Alabama Ballet's presentation of The Nutcracker. It was excellent from start to finish.

The Nutcracker was a fabulous production. I was very impressed with the quality of the young dancers.