The Nutcracker Fund allows Les Grands Ballets to pursue its mission of democratizing ballet, and of working towards inclusiveness and accessibility to art for everyone. Each year, 2,800 children are invited to attend a complete performance of The Nutcracker with orchestra, free of charge. This year, the educational matinée will take place on December 13 and bring together 1,400 children from underprivileged backgrounds, along with 1,400 children who are ill or in difficult circumstances, including from the below foundations selected by Les Grands Ballets.
Workshops are held throughout the fall at 21 schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods in greater Montreal as a way of introducing children to artistic creation – in dance, but also in the visual arts – providing them with the opportunity to enter the world of The Nutcracker in a fun, participatory and creative manner as their performance approaches. A wonderful way of stimulating a taste for the arts, of bolstering self-esteem, collaboration and sharing while putting the imagination to work, and thereby helping keep youngsters from dropping out of school. The workshops total 240 in number and are offered to close to 1,400 Montreal-area students in collaboration with “A Montreal School for All” (a program of the Québec Ministère de l’Éducation). Each class will attend four workshops led by professional artists. Other workshops will also be organized in a number of foundations, notably at Le Phare, where our dancers, accompanied by our artistic director, Ivan Cavallari, will visit hospitalized children. A caring way of bringing some holiday-season magic to those who cannot necessarily get around.
