One piece of the Christmas season in North Texas won't be happening this year due to the novel coronavirus.
The Texas Ballet Theater has announced it is canceling its annual run of The Nutcracker, which was set take place in Dallas and Fort Worth during November and December.
The company said it made its decision to cancel the season-opening productions due to safety reasons surrounding COVID-19.
This is due to protocols put in place to protect dancers, but also due to the loss of revenue they expected because of audience capacity limitations. The company said it would need regular audience sizes to recoup the cost of its sets, costumes and special effects.
When dancers return from summer break on Aug. 24, they will not be able to partner or dance within 6 feet of each other, the company said, due to protocols they have put in place in consultation with health professionals, other ballet companies and their owner leadership.
“Bringing The Nutcracker to life requires large numbers of dancers, crew and staff to be in close proximity with each other as early as September, which causes serious concerns amid our public health landscape,” Executive Director Vanessa Logan said in a news release.
The ballet group said in its statement it would be unable to rehearse The Nutcracker while also adhering to their new standards.
The company said it still plans to employ its dancers and connect with the audience during the holiday season. It is in the process of developing new programs.
“We will still connect with our community this holiday season, just in a different way," Logan said in the statement.
