Building the Joffrey Family

Many families were eager to experience The Joffrey Ballet’s special Nutcracker Family Dinner this year. For some families, this was not only their first experience attending this event, but also their first time attending a professional ballet performance! 

This year, The Joffrey Ballet extended special invitations with the sincerest gratitude to the families of the Community Engagement program for all of their hard work and commitment. Several of the students and their families have given a lot of time and commitment to The Joffrey Ballet’s Bridge Program and are now  students in the Joffrey Academy’s Children’s Division. “These young students that have participated in the Bridge Program are inspiring to others because they never had the opportunity to take a ballet class before getting involved in our program” says Pierre Lockett, Director of Community Engagement, “and now these students have worked their way up to participating in the ballet I classes in the Joffrey Academy. The Nutcracker Family Dinner is the perfect opportunity to say thank you to the participating families and the performance is a great way to show parents what their students aspire to accomplish in their dance classes.”

Families were thrilled to be joining their children for a delectable dinner and delightful performance, but their children were even more enthusiastic for the exciting activities planned. Activities at the Nutcracker Family Dinner included “creation stations” such as decorating pointe shoes, crowns, and snowflakes. Other activities included dessert decorating, games, a reading corner, and a candy and popcorn station, where children can taste old fashioned goodies! Children also received a keepsake frame with pictures from the Nutcracker photo booth to remember their experiences.

The Joffrey Ballet is truly fortunate to have such wonderful families involved in its programming!

Learn more about The Joffrey Ballet’s Community Engagement Programs on www.joffrey.org.