Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

The Nutcracker

NAC Southam Hall, Ottawa

(Performances December 5 through 8, 7 p.m., plus Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30 p.m.)

The Nutcracker ballet is partially responsible for nutcrackers symbolizing Christmas.

German folklore has it that nutcrackers were given as keepsake gifts representing strength and power. Fashioned to look like soldiers around the 1600s, nutcrackers were believed to bring luck to a family and protect the home.

The Nutcracker ballet, based on the 200-year-old short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E. T. A. Hoffmann, was first performed during the holiday season in Russia in 1892. Eventually making its way to Europe in the 1930s, much revised, and to North America ten years later, The Nutcracker ballet has since popularized nutcrackers as Christmas gifts. Accompanied by one of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s most famous scores, The Nutcracker has been choreographed by dozens of creators over the decades.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens’ iconic version is the work of Montrealer Fernand Nault. Originally destined to become a priest, Nault turned to dance and is best known for his spectacular Casse-Noisette (The Nutcracker) produced for Les Grands Ballets in 1964 when the company was still fairly new.  

Now headed by artistic director Ivan Cavallari and conductor Dina Gilbert, this classic two-act ballet follows young Clara and her charming Prince to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Snow Queen, the King of Sweets, the Sugar Plum Fairy, cotton candy angels, reindeer, matryoshkas, and mischievous pastry chefs. The sets are opulent and dreamlike, the costumes lavish and dazzling, and the energy stimulating and joyous. Tchaikovsky’s score is performed live by the NAC Orchestra.

Tickets are already nearly sold out. If you’re four or ninety-four, you can be part of this magical and heartwarming traditional family performance. See the NAC website for ticket information.