A Western Nutcracker
The Nutcracker, created by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy, was performed for the first time in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. The ballet was based on Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann’s story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” The ballet is performed countless times, especially in the United States, at holiday time. Children can read the wonderfully illustrated The Nutcracker, by Susan Jeffers, to understand the ballet’s story.