The Nutcracker is eternal

The Nutcracker is set in Imperial Russia, 1892, and glories in the rich pageantry of Tchaikovsky's best-loved tale. It's spectacular, as you expect. But it doesn't stop make-believing: there are dancing bears and a parade of sheep (including, adorably, a little black one), and there is a cannon that shoots confetti into the audience, and there's an imaginary feast-turned-food fight. Amid the elaborate choreography and the rigorous, spirit-and-polish beats an extraordinarily light heart. The Nutcracker is for the little ones, no matter how old they are on the outside.

Photo by Bruce Zinger - the National Ballet of Canada