Nutcracker Ballet Youth Auditions Seattle
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet
The 2025 performance of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet! was a smashing success.
We are elated to have Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet (formerly Moscow Ballet) return to Seattle in 2026 for their Dance with Us program. American Dance Institute will once again be their host school.
Youth Cast Audition
Please remember that each year, Nutcracker Ballet youth auditions are open to all Greater Seattle students who have at least one year of ballet training at the time of auditions and are currently enrolled in a local dance school.
To keep updated on auditions for 2026's performance, please join our mailing list here.
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet's “Dance with Us” program has brought tens of thousands of student dancers onstage to perform annually in a professional environment for 26 years—a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many children!
2026 Nutcracker Performance Information
When: Sunday, November 22, 2026
Where: The Moore Theater; Seattle, WA
What Time: 2:00pm and 6:00pm (subject to change)
Nutcracker Audition Info
When: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Where: American Dance Institute’s Shoreline Studio, 1240 NE 175th Street, 98155
What Time: 12:00pm (noon), check-in starts at 11:30am
Nutcracker Ballet youth auditions are open to all dancers ages 6–18 in the greater Seattle area who have had at least one year of ballet training and are enrolled or will be enrolled in a ballet class for the Fall season.
Audition Registration will open August 1, 2026. Registration is facilitated through the Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet's website. Please register here.
Prior to the audition, parents and dancers should carefully read through the information on the FAQ for Students page on the Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet's website, as it has helpful information about rehearsal policies, costume information, and performance FAQ's.
Rehearsal & Scheduling Information
If cast, dancers must be available to learn the choreography from
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet's audition director:
- Saturday, 9/12 (audition day): There will be rehearsal immediately after auditions at ADI Shoreline. The schedule will be announced after casting has taken place. Not all roles will be required to stay. Rehearsals are held at ADI Shoreline.
- Sunday, 9/13, 11:00am-6:00pm (day after auditions): Rehearsals for the remaining roles will be held on 9/13. Dancers won't be required to stay all day but likely for an hour or two. The schedule will be emailed to families the evening of 9/12. Rehearsals are held at ADI Shoreline.
- The 9/12 and 9/13 rehearsals are mandatory as the audition director will set all choreography during these rehearsals. Please ensure your schedule is free of other activities.
Dancers must be available for dates below:
- September 26th - November 22nd: Ongoing with ADI staff every Saturday and/or Sunday. These rehearsals will likely be held at ADI Greenwood.
- Performers will have ongoing rehearsals on either Saturday or Sunday afternoons/evenings, but likely not both days. Dancers must be available for whichever day/time they are assigned. The ongoing rehearsal schedule will be announced within a week after the audition.
- November 21st, 4:00-6:00pm : All Cast Rehearsal at ADI Shoreline
- Date TBA, likely in late October: Virtual parent meeting via zoom
- Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet allows one excused absence with advanced written notice. Please ensure your schedule is free other activities.
Audition and Rehearsal Fees:
- There is a casting fee of $55.00 that will be paid to Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet when registering for auditions.
- $250 rehearsal fee that will be paid to American Dance Institute if cast.
The Dancing Roles to be Cast For Seattle Performance
ACT I SCENES:
Party Children: ages 7–11; 6 girls and 6 boys (or girls dressed as boys)
Mice: Ages 10–12
Little Snowflakes: Ages 6–8 (Note: Must have 1 year ballet training)
ACT II:
Snow Maidens: Ages 10–14
Spanish: 2 dancers ages 8–10 & 2 dancers ages 12–18, pointe optional
Chinese: 2 dancers ages 8–10 & 2 older dancers ages 12–18, pointe optional
Russian: 2 dancers ages 8–10 & 2 dancers ages 11–18
French: 2 dancers ages 7-8
Arabian: 2 dancers ages 12-18, pointe optional
More information:
There will be two performances in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre, November 16th at 2 PM and 6 PM
Join our 2025 Great Russian Nutcracker Mailing list for all the latest information.
The New York Times Says...
Moscow Ballet: ‘Great Russian Nutcracker’
When Russians are involved, there are bound to be certain advantages: a magnetic sense of theater, along with decent costumes and sets. This “Nutcracker” unfolds at Mayor Stahlbaum’s annual Christmas Eve Ball — a hot ticket, apparently — and features the dancers Ekaterina Bortiakova and Akzhol Mussakhanov in the leads, as well as new set designs by Carl Sprague, who is known for his work in films like “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” His Waltz of the Flowers scene is inspired by the gardens in the Grand Palace of Peterhof in St. Petersburg.
60-100 Seattle dance students will dance with the Moscow Ballet in their Seattle performance of the Great Russian Nutcracker this November.
Behind The Scenes Of Seattle's Cutest Nutcracker Auditions
2017 Seattle area cast members for the Great Russian Nutcracker.
Komo Television's Seattle Refined recorded portions of Seattle's Moscow Ballet Nutcracker auditions and they interviewed participants at American Dance Institute's Greenwood Studios.
Watch it now:Behind The Scenes Of The Cutest Nutcracker Auditions
Moscow Ballet Soloists/Audition Directors tour the country conducting auditions for student dancers at Moscow Ballet’s local host dance studios from August through October.
Student dancers, boys and girls, ages 6 to 18 years, who have at least one year of ballet training, may audition for ancillary roles in the Great Russian Nutcracker such as Party Children, Mice, Snowflakes, Angels and more.
The selected children will rehearse at our host dance studio: American Dance Institute, and perform in the Great Russian Nutcracker at Seattle's Paramount Theater.
Los Angeles Times, Lewis Segal, “Christmas cheer...virtuosity...faultless mastery”
New York Times, Chief Dance Critic, “Knockout, brimful with feeling, kids...wide-eyed delight”
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Eric Harrison, “Dazzlingly shows Russian roots, sterling style”
Calgary Herald, Stephen Bonfield, “Technically supreme dancing, opulent, magical moments”