Experience The Nutcracker Like Never Before

• By: Dian Farmer
• Posted: Dec 26th, 2022
• Blog:Grocery Shop For FREE!!

We live in the DFW area and visited the Immersive Nutcracker on 12/23/22.

Myself, husband and three year old ventured from the mid-cities to downtown Dallas on an unusually cold winter day.

The Lighthouse Artspace was easy to get to and parking was available onsite for a small fee. After parking, we made our way to the front of the venue and ascended the steps and opened the doors to start this unique experience.

We were immediately greeted by the friendly attendant with a warm greeting and minimal wait time to enter the gallery. We were given clear instructions on how to navigate the gallery and prior to going upstairs we took time to snap a few photos to remember the event.

There were displays on either side of the elevator, both practical and not too large which made it easy for my three year old to take pictures without the displays overpowering him. The gallery is ADA compliant and we chose to use the elevator instead of the stairs to enter the performance gallery.

We were again greeted by gallery attendants and were advised to explore the three galleries that would display the performance at our own pace. After immediately entering the first performance gallery, the 20+ foot screens are the first thing that catch your eye.

They are floor to ceiling and the image was colorful and vibrant. We explored the first room and then went into the larger room and found stools to sit on while the Nutcracker performance was displayed.

Although the performance was only 30 minutes long, we were captivated from start to finish, so was everyone else in the room, young and old.

As I looked around the room, children were dancing, adults were gleaming, and families enjoying this traditional holiday story presented with a modern twist.

What was unique about the projection is that each wall projected different scenes and kept us engaged with a 360 degree view. Throughout the performance there were also Picture in Picture technology, which allowed viewers to see what were on the other screens without having to move about the gallery.

At the end of the performance, the viewers applauded and did not get in a hurry to exit. We made our way to the third gallery which featured reflection mirrors to walk through. As we walked through the mirrors, it provided a different perspective of seeing the projections on the screens and then also the mirror image in the mirrors from different angles and views.

We were given a pack a stickers as we exited the gallery as a momento of our experience.

As we drove home, we discussed what our favorite parts were:  three year old, all the dancing; dad, sled part which resembled a roller coaster; mom, enjoying this time together and seeing each other happy.

If the future brings similar experiences, we would definitely enjoy participating in them again.