How The Nutcracker became the most popular ballet in the world

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s ‘The Nutcracker’ “It’s exquisite,” Kaufman says, pointing to the part, toward the end of the ballet, when the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier dance a pas de deux. “There are so many beautiful pieces of music, and tunes that will delight a child and are complex enough to interest adults.” For Meg Howrey, a former dancer and author of the novel They’re Going To Love You, set in the dance world, The Nutcracker “was the perfect post-war ballet to introduce to American audiences: light, lavish, charming, with no dark or psychological undertones.” “When Tchaikovsky wrote the music, he was in hit-making form, like a 19th-century Timbaland,” she says. It’s absolutely critical to the bottom line.” open image in gallery British ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn in Milan for a production of the Nutcracker at La Scala in 1957 New York City Ballet’s spectacular production, which includes a one-ton, 41-foot Christmas tree that seems to grow out of the stage, costs around $140,000 per performance, according to Kina Poon, a City Ballet spokesperson. open image in gallery New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s ‘The Nutcracker’ Kirsten Evans, a dancer and writer, just wrapped up 10 shows as the Sugarplum Fairy in New England.