Celebrating 75 Years of Sugar Plum

America’s oldest Nutcracker celebrates its milestone 75th anniversary this month. Willam Christensen created his production for San Francisco Ballet in 1944—the first full-length version in the U.S.—but it has been a fixture of Ballet West’s repertory since 1963, when he became the company’s founding artistic director. The tradition that launched our nationwide holiday fixation on […]

The Nutcracker Product We Never Knew We Needed: Beer

There are Nutcracker socks, Nutcracker ugly sweaters and even Nutcracker LEGO sets. And now, for that moment when you want even more Nutcracker in your life, there’s Nutcracker beer. Ohio’s local Taft’s Brewery Company is collaborating with Cincinnati Ballet to create a Nutcracker Ale that seems to be taken straight out of the Land of […]

How These 6 Pros Get Through "Nut" Without Cracking

With Halloween behind us, it’s officially that time of year. No, we don’t mean the holidays. People who say the holidays are the busiest season don’t know what it’s like to be a ballet dancer. Because nothing beats the craziness of Nutcracker time. Fortunately, Dance Magazine has gathered all kinds of tips over the years […]

Jennifer Garner Helped Backstage at ABT's Nutcracker and It's Wild

Jennifer Garner wants the world to know that she takes game day seriously—and she’s not talking about football. For ballet dancers during December, there’s obviously only one type of “game day.” Nutcracker, of course. Garner is a highly documented ballet lover, and, this time, she went the extra mile to show her dedication. Thankfully, she […]