Can’t get enough  of the

magical holiday story of

giant mice and toys that

come to life and trips to

lands full of candy and

colorful dancing characters?

Click on the image above for a trip to nutcrackerballet.net, the jumping off point on your journey into all things Nutcracker including production reviews, notes on the story’s history, links to movie versions, and a host of other informative and interesting resources.  Although most people know that the original tale was written by E.T.A. Hoffman, most are unaware that it is Alexandre Dumas’ kinder and gentler version that provided the story used by  Tchaikovsky for his ballet.  This and many other interesting facts are waiting at nutcrackerballet.net.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, while much honored and beloved for his music during his lifetime, led a life full of anguish and disappointment

that somehow never seemed to show up in his beautiful, romantic melodies.  A composer in the Russian Romantic school of music along with Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Borodin, Tchaikovsky helped to usher in a highly popular style of music based primarily on folk themes.  As often happens with popular styles, Tchaikovsky’s music fell into critical disrepute as being overly sentimental.  But it has stood the test of time, continuing to regain its popularity both here and in its home country.  Click the composer’s picture at left to journey to the classical music web site where you will find information, resources, and audio clips available.

Did you know that although first presented at the Mayinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 17, 1892 Nutcracker Ballet as we know it was not performed in this country until 1954?  Discover fascinating facts and cool activities centered around this magical holiday tradition by clicking the link below.

Remember that this famous ballet began as a fairytale.  New York City Ballet, home of George Balanchine’s world famous production of the Nutcracker, celebrates the literary roots of the ballet by presenting this cool online retelling of the classic story through an interactive storybook.  Click on the book cover to read along with the magic!