A Step Beyond: El Alebrije — Youth Ballet Reimagining of The Nutcracker, Escondido

Tickets through the California Center for the Arts box office (on sale since 10/5/2026).

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About this adventure

El Alebrije is a creative youth ballet presented by A Step Beyond, staged as a reimagining of the traditional Nutcracker. Around 160 youth performers aged 8 to 18 take the stage together with their parents, so the show is as much a community celebration as a dance performance. It plays twice in early November in the Center Theater at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, and each performance is scheduled for an hour and a half, a manageable length for younger children. Tickets are cheaper bought in advance than on the day, and students, seniors, children and military with ID pay a reduced price, so it is an affordable way to introduce children to ballet and to see local kids perform before the big December Nutcrackers.