It’s the holiday season once again which means we anticipate the arrival of The Nutcracker to theaters and stages around the country. This magical ballet is something to look forward to each year and many families get excited to kick off their holiday season with an annual viewing of the popular production around this time.
The Story of the Nutcracker
The Nutcracker chronicles the story of a young girl named Clara as she excitedly waits for Christmas Day. The story begins on Christmas Eve as Clara receives a magical nutcracker as an early present from her Uncle Drosselmeyer. Chaos quickly ensues as her brother Fredrick smashes the nutcracker on the floor. The evening takes an even stranger turn when, after all the partygoers are asleep, Clara wakes to a house full of magic, mice, dancing soldiers and more!
The story of The Nutcracker is fun and fanciful, reminding us all about the magic of this season. From a growing Christmas Tree to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, there are so many fantastical moments to enjoy in this fairytale ballet.
Here are just a few of our favorite Nutcracker scenes and the backdrops we love to accompany them.
The Growing Christmas Tree
One of our favorite scenes in The Nutcracker is the “Growing Christmas Tree” scene where Clara awakens in her living room to find her regular-sized Christmas tree expanding to an enormous size all while the room around her seemingly shrinks! The dolls, figurines and Nutcracker grow with the tree to a lifesized appearance. This fanciful transformation scene creates a dreamlike atmosphere that will surely give audiences goosebumps and nostalgia as they anticipate this moment.
Our backdrop entitled “Growing Christmas Tree Backdrop” is perfect for this particular scene as it adds to the building excitement and magical feelings of the performance.
The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is a well-known musical number in the ballet The Nutcracker that features the Sugar Plum Fairy performing a series of dances for children. This scene is the pinnacle of the ballet and symbolizes Clara’s joy in this moment. The prima ballerina takes center stage during this particular scene and captures the full excitement of the cast and viewers as she dances alone in the spotlight.
Our “Land of Sweets Backdrop” is ideal for this scene and several others as it displays oversized dessert cakes with meringue clouds and pastel colors leading up to a cupcake palace.
The Party Scene
There is nothing quite like the opening scene of The Nutcracker, known as the Party Scene, where adults are dressed in their formal and eye-catching attire dancing and enjoying the holidays together.
Our Palace Interior Backdrop is perfect to set the stage for this scene with the royal blue drapery, expansive windows and formal palace interior.
Explore over 130 backdrop options for your performances of The Nutcracker this year! Happy Holidays.
