The KCP Presents Performing Arts Series welcomes Ukraine’s Grand Kyiv Ballet to Lyndon Institute for two performances of the Nutcracker, December 10th and 11th, at 7:00. The Grand Kyiv Ballet’s eagerly anticipated performances will be the first professional production of the Nutcracker in the Northeast Kingdom in 40 years.
The Grand Kyiv Ballet is an independent touring ballet company of 30 Ukrainian dancers, some of whom are temporarily operating from the International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, while in refuge from the Russian invasion.
The company works under the artistic direction of Oleksandr Stoianov, who was born in Crimea and became a champion ballroom dancer at the age of 10. At the Kyiv State Choreographic School, Stoianov worked under the mentorship of revered Ukrainian dancer and choreographer Vladimir Denisenko. After graduating, he became a soloist for the National Opera of Ukraine, performing the leading roles of nearly the entire repertoire, and received invitations to work at the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theater in St. Petersburg, the Bolshoi Theater, and the Berlin Opera.
The Nutcracker is a classical ballet in two acts, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The story follows a young girl, Clara, who receives a nutcracker doll as a Christmas gift. On Christmas Eve, the doll comes to life, battles an army of mice, and transports Clara to the Land of Sweets.
Bringing big city talent to Vermont’s small towns, the KCP Presents Performing Arts Series has scheduled 11 professional touring acts through spring of 2026, including dance, circus, comedy, and music from around the world. Tickets for KCP Presents 2025-26 shows, including early bird discounts, are on sale now. Student admission is free to St. Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute shows, including both Grand Kyiv Ballet performances of the Nutcracker, on December 10th and 11th. To buy tickets or learn more, visit www.catamountarts.org or www.kcppresents.org. Alternatively, call 802-748-2600 or visit the Catamount Arts box office at 115 Eastern Avenue, St. Johnsbury.
The KCP Presents Series is produced by Catamount Arts working in association with Kingdom County Productions and supported by generous local sponsors including The Autosaver Group, Community National Bank, Lyndon Institute, Northern Counties Healthcare, EastRise Credit Union, NVRH, Passumpsic Bank, St. Johnsbury Academy, Seven Days, The Point, NHPR, WYKR/Yankee Broadcasting, Green Mountain Broadcasters, Vermont Public, and Seven Days, with grant funding from the Vermont Arts Council.
