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16 unusual facts about the Nutcracker


A Company of Swans

She joins the Company and they practice for a week in Century Theatre before leaving for Manaus, where they will perform Giselle, Swan Lake, La Fille Mal Gardee, and Casse Noisette (The Nutcracker).

Artur Rodziński

His complete recording of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker for Westminster was recorded in stereo in 1956.

Caitlin Hale

Hale has sung since the age of two, appearing in the New England Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker at age 3, and later played the lead in "Annie" at Sacred Heart University, and Molly in "ShowBiz Kids" at Bridgeport’s Polka Dot Playhouse.

Jennifer Tipton

She designed the lighting for Baryshnikov's production of The Nutcracker, both for the stage and for television.

Jock Soto

Soto danced the role of a parent in the 1993 film version of The Nutcracker, a version based on the New York City Ballet production choreographed by George Balanchine.

Jonathan Cohler

Cohler's conducting engagements have included Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela, and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker with the Indian Hill Orchestra (Groton, Massachusetts) and the Granite State Ballet Company in New Hampshire, and Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra with the Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra in San Antonio.

Marina Eglevsky

Marina performed professionally in New York City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker, with the Eglevsky Ballet Company and as a guest in various companies and engagements.

Men of Music

The Nutcracker, which had not yet been performed complete in the United States in 1939, was barely mentioned in the original edition; only the twenty-minute Nutcracker Suite extracted from it was given anything resembling a detailed discussion, and Brockway and Weinstock did not change this in later revisions of the book.

Moonlight and Mistletoe

Holly soon finds out Peter is a guy she met in her teenage years and that she inspired his interest in The Nutcracker.

Pittsburgh Youth Ballet

Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company's Performances were named among the "Ten Best Dance Performances" of 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 as compiled by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and PYBC's The Nutcracker was featured in Pittsburgh Magazine as the "Dance Editors Pick" for December.

Sally Gilpin

She was born as Sally Judd and she became a leading ballerina for the London Festival Ballet who danced in many roles in productions, such as The Nutcracker in 1962.

Six Weeks

Since the girl has only six weeks or less to live, the trio fly to New York City where the daughter skates the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, assumes the lead role of Marie in The Nutcracker with the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, and sightsees most of the city.

Stranahan Theater

It is also the site of the Pops series of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, The Nutcracker by the Toledo Ballet, and A Christmas Carol by the Toledo Rep. In addition, the Great Hall is used for about 140+ banquets, receptions, and trade shows each year.

The Danny Kaye Show

Tony Charmoli, who would later go on to direct many television specials himself, including Mikhail Baryshnikov's staging of The Nutcracker (1977), was the choreographer for the musical numbers.

The Royal Ballet School Diaries

In her case, her Gran had taken her to a performance of The Nutcracker at Christmas - and she'd immediately been hooked.

The Wonderful Worlds of Wally McDoogle

Wally does many crazy things such as become a secret agent in My Life as a Screaming Skydiver, become the sewage director for his hometown in My Life as Polluted Pond Scum, scuba dive in My Life as a Torpedo Test Target, dance as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker in My Life as a Blundering Ballerina, travel through time in My Life as a Toasted Time Traveler, and stars in two movies in My Life as Alien Monster Bait and My Life as a Bigfoot Breathmint.


Anna Podlesnaya

Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker), Pas de deux and Giselle (Giselle), Princess Florina and Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty), Phrygia (Spartacus), Seventh and Eleventh Waltzes (Les Sylphides).

Chicago Festival Ballet

Annual traditions include the company’s production of Tchaikovsky’s "The Nutcracker" in multiple theaters in Chicago, including the Rialto Square Theatre, Harris Theater in Millennium Park, and the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage.

Christmas With the Joker

When Batman and Robin arrive, the Joker starts up a record of Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and sends multiple, over-sized, toy soldiers, which are soon defeated.

Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied

Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied was among Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Nutcracker Suite, Night on Bald Mountain, Ave Maria, Dance of the Hours, Clair de Lune, The Rite of Spring, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice as the original planned line-up for Walt Disney Pictures' Fantasia.

Erina Takahashi

Cinderella, Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), Giselle (Giselle), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy, (The Nutcracker), The Snow Queen (The Snow Queen), Princess Aurora, Princess Florine and the Bluebird (The Sleeping Beauty), The Chosen One (Rite of Spring), Manon (Manon).

Ivan Vsevolozhsky

Though unknown to most people, even those in the arts, it was he who brought about the very existence of such world-famous ballets as The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky/Petipa) and The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky/Ivanov).

Jennifer Alexander

Alexander, Bragado-Young and a third dancer were returning to Manhattan after Bragado-Young had performed in The Nutcracker in Williamsport, Pennsylvania when they came upon a multiple-vehicle collision on Route 3.

Kristina Kretova

She was a graduate of the Moscow State Choreographic Academy in 2002 and after it joined the Kremlin Ballet Theater where she plays such roles as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Marie in the Nutcracker, and Emmy Lawrence in Tom Sawyer.

Michele Jimenez

She danced main roles in many ballets like:Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Coppelia, Cinderella, Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Nutcracker and in many contemporary pieces from choreographers such as George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Krzysztof Pastor, Septime Webre, Wayne Eagling, Ted Brandsen, Alexei Ratmansky, Mark Morris and Christopher Wheeldon.

Mikhail Lavronsky

He gave him a role of prince in the Nutcracker, and later on Lavronsky appeared in such roles as Ferkhad in the Legend of Love and in Spartacus ballet for a role of which he even won Lenin Prize.

Newark Boys Chorus

The original chorus was formed with the New Jersey Symphony who needed “angels’ voices” for the “Dance of the Snowflakes” in their production of Tchaikowsky’sThe Nutcracker”.

Richmond Ballet

In his 2011 article on American productions of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, the New York Time's Alastair Macaulay singled out the Richmond Ballet production as one of the best in the country.

Roberto Bolle

Since then he has starred in many ballets including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Notre-Dame de Paris, and In the middle somewhat elevated.

Scott Gustafson

Books by other authors that feature his work include: The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and The Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker in 3D

The music for the film is derived from Tchaikovsky's original music for The Nutcracker, the composer's ballet version of the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, and lyricist Tim Rice wrote lyrics for it.

Videotape

However, some classic television programs originally recorded on studio videotape still exist, and are available on DVD - among them the television version of Hal Holbrook's one-man show Mark Twain Tonight (first telecast in 1967), and Mikhail Baryshnikov's classic production of the ballet The Nutcracker (first telecast in 1977).