One of the most time-honoured holiday traditions, The Nutcracker receives the royal Russian treatment! This year, audiences have the rare opportunity to see a classic production performed by the Canadian Ballet Theatre (CBT) with three guest artists - Veronika Part, currently a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre, and former soloist of the Kirov Ballet; Marianna Ryzhkina, a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet; and Yan Godovsky, a leading soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet.

The story of The Nutcracker begins on Christmas Eve. Clara, the young heroine, is presented with a one-of-a-kind nutcracker by her godfather Drosselmeyer. As the clock strikes midnight, Clara falls asleep under the Christmas tree and dreams the most marvelous dream. In a winter wonderland, she dances with snowflakes, defeats a Mouse King, and takes a magical ride with the Nutcracker Prince.

The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King written by E. T. A. Hoffmann in 1816, it was later adapted by Alexandre Dumas and set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's glorious and iconic music. This faithful and classic rendering is staged by Nadia Veselova Tencer and is based on the Kirov choreography by Vasily Vainonen.