One Snow Queen, two Icicles, 18 Snow Maidens, six Unicorns, 20 young singers and 65 musicians along with 10 lbs of paper snow make the snow scene one of the most spectacular moments in The Nutcracker ...

MANKATO — Quinn Rassbach and Caleb Hartwig are two of a large number of seniors graduating this year and making their last appearance in the Mankato Ballet Company’s annual “The Nutcracker” shows.

If you didn’t know any better, the rhythmic thumping of 15 pairs of pointe-shoe-clad feet against the wood floor inside a Macon dance studio could easily be mistaken for an approaching army. Violins ...