Nutcracker Trivia:

• The Nutcracker has become an annual holiday tradition in many American cities and even around the world. It is so popular that holidays are not complete without seeing The Nutcracker live. 

• The Nutcracker’s origin can be traced back to Russia in the late 1800’s where choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky created the ballet based on ETA Hoffman’s story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.  

• In the 1900’s, touring Russian ballet companies brought the Nutcracker to the United States.  

• Four years later, The Nutcracker was born as a full-length ballet for the San Francisco Ballet. In 1954, George Balanchine created his Nutcracker for the New York City Ballet which CBS televised in 1958, making ballet and specifically The Nutcracker, more accessible to American audiences.  

• Following suit of New York City Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet, professional ballet companies and ballet schools across the United States created their own versions of The Nutcracker.  

• Every year, people troop to the theaters to relive the ballet’s Christmas magic, and every year, dance students, new and old cast members alike, come together to practice and perfect the ballet. Most versions of The Nutcracker share elements of ETA Hoffman’s original story and the use of Tchaikovsky’s music and many versions include roles for professional dancers and dance students.
• American audiences love The Nutcracker because of the fact that it has the participation of children in major roles such as, in the idealized Christmas Eve Party Scene. The ballet depicts the tradition of having a family reunion, observing the holidays, all idealizing a close-knit family environment.