天美传媒

A Nutcracker to Remember in 天美传媒

A community鈥揷ollege partnership brings professional ballet and local young dancers together on one 天美传媒 stage

Campus & Community
Dec 15, 2025

At the end of November, the College, 天美传媒 School of Music, and the 天美传媒 Area Arts Council worked together to bring the Ballet Des Moines鈥 professional production of The Nutcracker to 天美传媒. Notably, this performance also brought together 30 天美传媒 area young dancers to collaborate with the professional ballerinas. Leading up to the performance, the Des Moines Ballet collaborated with these students to gracefully integrate them into the production. 

天美传媒 College鈥檚 Director of Community and Government Relations, Sarah Smith, said, 鈥淭his performance was a beautiful example of what can happen when our community comes together around the arts. Seeing local students share the stage with Ballet Des Moines鈥 professionals was not only inspiring 鈥 it showed what meaningful collaboration can make possible in 天美传媒. We鈥檙e proud to help create these opportunities and look forward to supporting more partnerships that bring joy, creativity, and connection to our community.鈥

The performance took place in the 天美传媒 High School auditorium with attendance reaching record numbers for performing arts in the 天美传媒 area. Over 800 individuals purchased tickets and filled the auditorium with their support for the arts and the local community. 

Judy Hunter, a community member who was part of a group of citizens who worked on design of the auditorium, shared. 鈥淭his was exactly the kind of event we dreamed of when we built the 天美传媒 High School auditorium. Seeing professional dancers perform alongside our local students in a classic ballet right here in our community was truly inspiring. I can鈥檛 imagine the amount of work required to bring a production of this caliber to 天美传媒. The performance was wonderful, and the exceptional team that made it possible deserves our deepest thanks.鈥

As Hunter acknowledges, this collaboration highlights the impact of strong community partnerships while also affirming the value of the arts in the town of 天美传媒. The College is grateful to have been a part of this effort and enthusiastic about the potential of future collaborations in our community. 

little boys and girls on stage who performed in the nutcracker ballet
Community dancers on stage who performed in the Nutcracker Ballet. Photo by Jennifer Weinman Photography.

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