Commenting on the proliferation of mass-produced nutcrackers, she notes: “The provenance of nutcrackers didn’t really matter – if it ever did – for voracious American consumers, who just wanted something that looked vaguely like the guy from the ballet.” “We seem to have a national instinct to collect, particularly when it comes to pop-culture merch”, agrees journalist Noreen Malone that she can imply a classical ballet is “pop-culture” is telling in itself. You’ve got the girl, the guy, the dream, the magic tree that grows to 7 ft, the glittery snowflakes, and some really heavyweight choreography to the most amazing score. “It’s the eternal fantasy of Christmas come to life on stage. A former first soloist with the Royal Ballet, she has danced in countless Nutcrackers over the years, playing everything from the Sugar Plum Fairy to the Rose Fairy to members of the Arabian and Spanish dance troupes. “It hits such a sweet spot,” agrees dancer Isabel McMeekan, founder of Everybody Ballet, which aims to make ballet inclusive and accessible to everyone. Here is a magical world of young children, parents, toys, Christmas trees, snowflakes and candy, all set to Tchaikovsky’s “abundant and perfect” score, as the leading ballet critic Alastair Macaulay called it.

The ballet is free of theology, steers clear of baby Jesus and celebrates festivities to which many families, regardless of religious persuasion, can relate at this time of year.

Nutcracker by eta hoffmann