Origin and History:
The Nutcracker ballet, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petipa, made its debut in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. Adapted from German author E.T.A. Hoffmann's fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," the ballet tells the story of a young girl named Clara and her extraordinary Christmas Eve adventure.
Plot and Characters:
The Nutcracker unfolds as Clara's Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, presents her with a wooden nutcracker doll that comes to life and engages in a ferocious battle with an army of mice. Subsequently, audiences are transported to the enchanting Land of Sweets, where Clara gets to witness mesmerizing performances by a variety of characters, including the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker Prince, and other whimsical residents.