Clara (Masha) and the Prince safely reach the land of Magic and the festivities begin





The celebration features dances from many lands: Spain, India, Russia and China.



The Imperial Russian ballet

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.....................,,,,,,,Australian ballet, 1992

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.......................Orlando Ballet


Joffrey Ballet of Chicago


The Vaganova Academy

Then Masha (Clara) and the Prince take center stage and perform the most beautiful pas de deux.


S. Lunkina & A. Fadeev


A. Snegina & A. Butrimovich


N. Pavlova & V. Gordeev with the Bolshoi


ROH of London


Royal Swedish Ballet


The Vaganova Academy

Grand pas de deux of Masha (Clara) & the Prince speaks of love and joy, but one can also hear notes of sadness in the celestial music of Peter Tchaikovsky. Alas, this beautiful celebration is coming to conclusion and Masha and the Prince must part forever.

Incomparable Nadezhda Pavlova in 1973.




Anastassia Volochkova in Mariinsky's The Nutcracker


Cem Catbas & Yevgenia Obraztsova with Baltimore Ballet, 2005

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Clara (Masha) wakes up and finds herself holding the Nutcracker toy in her arms.


Ballet Savannah

What a wonderful dream it was!


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Sugar Plum Fairy variation

The chimes of celeste are echoed by the pointed steps of a dancer. They are both akin to drops of water hitting smooth surface and sharply bouncing of it. There’s no dance student who doesn’t dream of performing what is most certainly one of the most popular variations in all ballet.

Larissa Lezhnina in Mariinsky's The Nutcracker

Since the premiere of The Nutcracker in 1892 this variation as well as the whole ballet had undergone multiple and extensive alterations, but it is generally believed that the variation as it now performed at the Mariinsky Theatre as staged by Vasily Vainonen is very close to the original. While Petipa masterminded The Nutcracker ballet, his illness prevented him from day-to-day task of staging and it is well established that the Sugar Plum Fairy variation was choreographed by Petipa’s assistant at the Mariinsky, Lev Ivanov.

Svetlana Zakharova in Mariinsky's The Nutcracker