Everything "Nutcracker"

Three Noteworthy Nutcracker Premieres This December

December 1, 2025

It’s that time again—bells are ringing, fake snowflakes are falling, and cans of hair spray are emptying as ballet companies around the globe kick off Nutcracker season. As always, it’s important to keep the holiday tradition fresh. That often depends on the dancers themselves and the energy they project onstage, but sometimes it involves a new production entirely. This year, Alberta Ballet, National Ballet of Japan, and Nevada Ballet Theatre are opting for the latter, each presenting an exciting Nutcracker premiere.

Read on to learn more about each production.

Getting Nutty Up North

Alberta Ballet presents a new version of The Nutcracker this year, choreographed by artistic director Francesco Ventriglia. The ballet, which features new sets by Italo Grassi and costumes by Gianluca Falaschi, runs December 3–7 in Edmonton and December 12–24 in Calgary. Dance students from both cities will join Alberta Ballet’s company members onstage, performing in youth roles.

In a ballet studio, Jolie Rose Lombardo does an arabesque croise derriere on pointe, her arms on a long arabesque diagonal. She wears a dark red leotard and a white practice tutu.
Jolie Rose Lombardo rehearsing Francesco Ventriglia’s The Nutcracker. Photo courtesy Alberta Ballet.

Ventriglia’s choreography honors the traditional look and story, but with some changes. In his version, the Sugar Plum Fairy crowns Clara the Sugar Plum Princess in Act II, and Clara dances the grand pas de deux with the Nutcracker Prince. Ventriglia tells Pointe that select characters in Act II reflect counterparts in Act 1: Clara’s mother is the Sugar Plum Fairy, for example, and Drosselmeyer is Mother Ginger. He has also chosen to forgo rifles in Act I’s Battle Scene (soldiers will wield plastic swords), opting for a more game-like feel rather than one of intense combat. The scene even contains a playful car chase between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. “Kids don’t need to be exposed to rifles,” says Ventriglia.

  • Three costume designs, shown side-by-side. From the left: The Sugar Plum Fairy, with a white and gold tutu; The Mouse King, with a gold military top and fluffy black pants; and The Nutcracker, with a gold a white soldier's suit.
    Costume designs by Gianluca Falaschi. Photos courtesy Alberta Ballet.
  • Two costume designs shown side-by-side. From the left: The Snow Queen, wearing a sparkling white and silver tutu with a tall tiara; and Clara, wearing a rose-colored 1920's-style dress with a sailor collar.
    Snow Queen and Clara costume designs by Gianluca Falaschi. Photos courtesy Alberta Ballet

Visually, Grassi and Falaschi’s designs hearken back to the Art Nouveau style of turn-of-the-century Paris, which is also the ballet’s setting. Ventriglia says his greatest goal is to create an “elegant” and “tasteful” representation of the classic ballet that appeals to modern audiences.

Tokyo Takes On Tradition

British choreographer Will Tuckett has returned to Tokyo to create his second world premiere for the National Ballet of Japan. Tuckett’s Nutcracker, set in Europe between the late 1800s and early 1900s, features a slightly older Clara who also dances Act II’s grand pas de deux. Tuckett has also chosen to focus the Act II divertissements on foods and candies rather than nationalities, and, like Ventriglia, has mirrored characters from Act I’s party scene with those in Act II. Drosselmeyer will have a more prominent role, including a trio before the snow scene.

  • In a large ballet studio, Ayako Ono and Lee Myeonghyun rehearse a pas de deux as Will Tuckett and Yudai Fukouka watch and coach. Ono stands on pointe with one leg lifted devant, holding Myung-hyun's hand as they both lift their other arms to high fifth.
    From left: Will Tuckett, Ayako Ono, Lee Myeonghyun, and Yudai Fukuoka. Photo by Yoshitomo Okuda, courtesy National Ballet of Japan.
  • A set design showing Act 1's Party Scene from "The Nutcracker," with warm gold lighting. A large Christmas tree stands in front of a circular window at the back of the stage, with garlands, a grandfather clock, a staircase, and presents. Clara dances with her nutcracker in the middle.
    A Party Scene set design by Colin Richmond. Photo courtesy National Ballet of Japan.

Tuckett’s Nutcracker runs at Tokyo’s New National Theater December 19–January 4, with new sets and costumes by Colin Richmond, lighting by Satoshi Sato, and projections by Douglas O’Connell. Tchaikovsky’s score has been arranged by Martin Yates, who will also conduct several of the shows. He and Tuckett have added some new elements to the music, including a short carol toward the beginning and a rarely heard Act II divertissement. They have also worked to restore Tchaikovsky’s original speeds. For costumes and sets, Tuckett and Richmond have aimed for an evergreen look, with designs vaguely reminiscent of the time and place.

Balanchine Heads to Sin City

Nevada Ballet Theatre is the latest company to add George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker to its repertoire, joining New York City Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Alabama Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. It’s been almost a decade since there has been a new version of Balanchine’s Nutcracker in the United States; the most recent was at PNB in 2015. “As we celebrate 54 years of bringing dance to Las Vegas, this production represents our growth as a company as we reach new heights in performances, training, and education,” said NBT artistic director Roy Kaiser in a press release.

  • In a ballet studio, a dancer does a piqué arabesque with her arms in high third. She looks up toward her top arm as her rehearsal skirt flows. Behind her, rows of corps dancers pose in a shallow lunge with their arms curved gently behind them.
    Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Julia Pasquale rehearsing Dewdrop from George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Photo by Alicia Lee, courtesy NBT.
  • A colored design sketch of The Nutcracker's Snow Scene shows 11 staggered dancers in white long tutus center stage in plié on the right leg with their left legs in tondu front on a left diagonal. Their right arms are straight above their heads while they look to the right towards their left arms which are extended in a low V. Seven snow-dusted pine trees are aligned on either side of them against a blue backdrop picturing a silver moon.
    A Snow Scene design sketch by Michael Raiford. Photo courtesy Nevada Ballet Theatre.

Running December 13–28 at Las Vegas’ Smith Center for the Performing Arts, NBT’s production features costume and set design by Michael Raiford, who took inspiration from 1930s Art Deco. The aesthetic nods toward NBT’s performance home, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. Along with traditional set pieces, the ballet will also feature LED and HD projections, designed by Aaron Rhyne, for additional flair. 

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