Boni's Dance is moving its annual Nutcracker to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

The studio and its performing arm, The Woodlands Dance Company, will present the 40th annual Nutcracker at the Pavilion on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22. Boni's Dance and Performing Arts Studio announced the venue on its Facebook page, calling it "a special milestone celebration."

The Woodlands Online event listing shows the Nov. 22 performance at 7:07 p.m. Public tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 19, at 10 a.m. Cast members and graduating seniors get early access: presales begin Thursday, Oct. 15, at 9 a.m. for seniors, followed by principal dancers on Friday, Oct. 16, and the full cast on Saturday, Oct. 17. Ticket prices have not been announced.

The move is a leap in scale. In 2024, the Nutcracker drew four sold-out performances at College Park High School Theatre, according to Student Center USA. The studio already uses the Pavilion, at 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., for its annual spring recital during Memorial Day weekend. This will be the first time the Nutcracker lands there.

Bonnie Schuetz, known to families as Miss Boni, founded the studio in 1984 after teaching in her garage in The Woodlands the year before. She opened her first location in a single room at Panther Creek Village Center. The studio now operates three locations across The Woodlands and had more than 1,400 students and 50 staff members as of early 2024, Woodlands Online reported.

"A dancer is an athlete of the arts," Schuetz said in that January 2024 profile of the studio.

Christina Schanta, who has choreographed for the studio since 2004, serves as artistic director for the Nutcracker. In the 2024 production, Schuetz herself performed onstage as Mother Gigogne.

Proceeds from the annual Nutcracker benefit local charities, according to the studio's website. The specific organizations have not been named.

Upcoming

  • Oct. 15–17: Presale tickets for cast and graduating seniors
  • Oct. 19: Public ticket sales open at 10 a.m.
  • Nov. 21–22: 40th annual Nutcracker at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion