Why You Should Take Your Kids To See The Nutcracker Every Year

Oh, lovely December. Temperatures have plunged; there’s a chill in the air. And all those magical decorations adorning every street corner, restaurant, hotel, and department store. As a child whose family did not celebrate Christmas, my most cherished holiday memory is seeing the New York City Ballet perform “The Nutcracker” every year.

For the uninitiated, “The Nutcracker” tells the story of a young girl, Marie (sometimes called Clara), who receives a nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. That night, Marie experiences a fanciful dream; she and the Nutcracker Prince battle the evil Mouse King, then journey to the Land of the Sweets. The original production was choreographed by Marius Petipa and performed in December 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The man responsible for making “The Nutcracker” a yearly American tradition is the iconic choreographer George Balanchine. 

If “The Nutcracker” isn’t yet a holiday tradition in your family, here are some compelling reasons why it should be. The ballet is for and about kids. When Balanchine, director of the New York City Ballet, staged the first American production in 1954, he cast children in many of the roles, including Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.

Balanchine’s version became a massive success after it was televised in 1957 and 1958. It then became standard practice for companies staging the ballet. By making children central to the story, Balanchine gave countless dancers their start — and inspired thousands of others to fall in love with ballet. The writer Toni Bentley, a New York City corps-de-ballet member who danced with Balanchine for a decade, writes in her book Serenade: A Balanchine Story, “I have never met a man who loved children the way Balanchine did: both with respect and kindness, like we were actually people, just short.”

“The Nutcracker” provides a wonderful introduction to the magical elegance of classical ballet, and the joy of classical music. There is nothing quite like the experience of attending a live ballet performance. Even now, in my 60s, I still get caught up in the enchantment before the ballet even starts — not to mention the performance itself. 

First there is the sound of the orchestra tuning their instruments; then fancily dressed audience members rushing excitedly to their seats; and finally, the eager young dance students (and perhaps future stars!) in the audience beside their proud parents, with their perfectly straight posture and characteristic ballerina hairdo: the perfectly orchestrated “ballet bun.”

Accessible Musical Masterpiece

Then there is the music. Originally composed in 1892 in Russia by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (composer of the ballet “Swan Lake,” and the “1812 Overture”), “The Nutcracker” score is an accessible masterpiece — festive and inspiring. I challenge you to put on track three of Act One, “Children’s Gallop and Dance of the Parents” and see if you can stay seated.

Only a few bars of the score, particularly “The Children’s Gallop,” propel me promptly out of my chair. Suddenly, I’m on one leg, arms spread out in front of me, executing a perfect pirouette, as years of Nutcracker performances, as well as my own childhood ballet training, come rushing back. Even in the scorching heat of summer, six months removed from the holidays, the music of “The Nutcracker” summons the joy and magic of Christmas.

Making Memories

Making a yearly tradition to see “The Nutcracker” is also a great way to celebrate an American icon. Balanchine, who lived through the tyranny and trauma of the Russian Revolution, arrived in America in 1933. A year later he started the New York City Ballet. Balanchine famously embraced everything American, never taking for granted the opportunities his adopted country afforded him. Even his sartorial style displayed this affection. Balanchine, known as the Father of American Ballet, often wore plaid yoked cowboy shirts with pearl snaps, accented by Western bolo string ties.

Taking your kids to a performance of “The Nutcracker” is a great way to carve out quality family time, away from phones and computers. It also presents a chance to step away from the hectic hustle and bustle of crowded stores, party-going and hosting, while at the same time exposing your children to an enduring work of art. Most ballet companies perform “The Nutcracker” each December, and many ballet schools stage their own productions. There are also ballet troupes that visit places without resident companies, bringing the magic of “The Nutcracker” to you.

Treating the family to a live performance of “The Nutcracker” every December can be a holiday ritual that will stay with your children, and their children, as a warm, cherished, Christmas memory.

Beth Herman is an artist, essayist, and school docent at The National Gallery of Art. In addition to The Federalist, her essays have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Legal Times, The Washington Times, and on NPR. When not at her writing desk, Beth can be found running or walking with her husband, the author and historian Arthur Herman.