Presented by the St. Clair Youth Ballet

Act I

It is Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum's house and it is beautifully decorated with Christmas ornaments, wreaths, stockings, mistletoe and a majestic Christmas tree. As the Stahlbaum's prepare for their annual Christmas party, their children, Fritz and Clara, wait anxiously for their guests' family and friends to arrive. When the guests finally appear, the party begins with dancing and celebration. A mysterious guest arrives dressed in dark clothing, frightening Fritz, but not Clara. Clara knows he is Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer. His surprise arrival is warmly accepted and all the children dance and carry on with laughter.

The celebration is interrupted again as Drosselmeyer performs magic to entertain the children, and then surprises them all with wonderful gifts. Clara is given the best gift of all, a Nutcracker doll. Jealous of his sister's gift, Fritz snatches the Nutcracker from Clara and breaks it. Clara is upset, but her kindly Godfather Drosselmeyer works his magic and repairs the beloved Nutcracker.

As the evening grows late, the children become sleepy. Everyone generously thanks the Stahlbaum's before they leave. As Clara's family retires to bed, she checks on her Nutcracker one last time and ends up falling asleep with it in her arms.

At the stroke of midnight Clara wakes up to a frightening scene. Out of nowhere, large mice begin to circle the room. Clara's Nutcracker calls the toy soldiers into battle formation to fight the army of mice. The Mouse King traps the Nutcracker, and in a desperate move to save her Nutcracker from defeat, Clara throws her slipper at the Mouse King. The Nutcracker overcomes the stunned Mouse King and claims victory.

The Nutcracker is magically transformed into a human, the handsome Cavalier. He climbs onto Clara's sleigh and drives through a snowy forest. There they meet the Winter Queen and delightful polar bears and penguins. They are enthralled as the snow princesses, snow maidens, Snow Queen and snowflakes dance in the forest. After their journey through the snow forest, Clara and the Cavalier arrive in the Land of Sweets, where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Act II

As Clara's journey nears its end, six charming angels escort Clara and the Prince to the Candy Castle as all the inhabitants of the Land of Sweets assemble to greet them. In the Land of Sweets, Clara is entertained by all the sweets of the land, the Cavalier, and the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Spanish dancers, representing chocolate, entertain with a fiery bolero. Next, the Russian Cossack dancers perform a brilliant trepak with great enthusiasm and energy. The Chinese dancers, in traditional costume, perform a sprightly dance, representing tea. Mother Ginger enters wearing an enormous hoop skirt and welcomes Clara with a special surprise. The toy flutes entertain Clara with a lively divertissement. A beautiful Arabian princess dances to a haunting melody. All of the flowers of the kingdom magically come to life and perform an enchanting waltz.

Silence quickly follows the end of their dances. Clara doesn't know what to expect next. The handsome Cavalier enters the scene and escorts the Sugar Plum Fairy to the center of the room. The captivating pair dance lighter than air, to complete Clara's most perfect evening. The festival concludes when everyone comes together to bid Clara and the Cavalier farewell.

Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreographed by Shirley Schram

Narrated by Jay Peckham

• Scene 1: Decoration of the Christmas Tree
• Scene 2: The March
• Scene 3: Mother's Dance
• Scene 4: Grandparents Presents
• Scene 5: Arrival of Herr Drosselmeyer and His Magic
• Scene 6: Grandparent's Dance
• Scene 7: Conclusion of the Christmas Party
• Scene 8: The Battle Scene
• Scene 9: The Land of Snow
  • Winter Queen, Polar Bears and Penguins
  • Winter Queen and Snow Princess
  • Snow Maidens
• Scene 10: Waltz of the Snowflakes
• Entr'acte: Angels
• Scene 11: Arrival of Clara into the Kingdom of Sweets
• Scene 12: Divertissement
  • Chocolate - Spanish Dance
  • Pas de Deux
  • Tea - Chinese Dance
  • Trepak - Russian Dance
  • Mother Ginger and the Children
  • Dance of the Reed Flutes
  • Coffee - Arabian Dance
• Scene 13: Sugar Plum Fairy, Cavalier
• Scene 14: Waltz of the Flowers
• Scene 16: Coda
• Scene 17: The Final Waltz
• Scene 18: Final Bows