With (almost) everyone back at home for the holiday season, we are reminded of traditions and customs our families all participate in during this time of year. For my family, one of those traditions is going to see The Nutcracker. Whether it is a local production that some of my friends are in, or a large production like this year, whenever we get the opportunity, we try to go see the popular holiday ballet. This year, I went with my best friend on Dec. 20, 2025, at the Schuster Center in Dayton, Ohio. Following is my review of our evening, and I hope it motivates you to go see The Nutcracker soon!
Before I get into the ballet, I would like to have an honorable mention for the “getting ready” section of the evening. While I thoroughly enjoyed the performance, I loved playing some music and dancing around with my friend as we put our dresses on and did our makeup. Now, to the show.
After getting dinner, we arrived at the theater early to take some photos (which, if you like the aesthetic pre-performance vibe, were perfect). Once we were done with that and took our seats, we looked at the stage in anticipation as we waited for the performance to begin. Thankfully for me, we didn’t have any tall people sitting in front of us, and there was a minimal amount of small children around to disrupt the performance. As we were sitting on the lower balcony, we had the perfect, birds-eye view onto the stage and to the orchestra pit below. As a former tech crew member, just from this standpoint, you could see that everything was meticulously organized and practiced.
Finally, the lights dimmed and the show started, and for the next two hours or so, I was mesmerized. The ballet opens on a toymaker, named Drosselmeyer, and for this production, Clara (the protagonist), played by Amy Grennek, and her little brother, played by Jack Colbert, chose different toys from his toy shop to receive for Christmas. Clara chose the famous Nutcracker, from which she was denied and forced to pick a doll instead. Just in this opening scene, you could see the intricacy of the set and costumes, and both the seamless music and beautiful lighting brought the story to life.
We then move to the party scene, where we can see everyone in their holiday best, gathered at Clara’s house to celebrate. There are many dances performed by both the parents and children, and it is within this scene that Clara receives the Nutcracker as a surprise from her father. This scene was executed wonderfully, with rising strings and beautiful costumes completing the look. I really loved all of the pantomime that occurred, showing what was going on without having to hear a dialogue.
Moving onto the battle scene, it began with these adorable little kids who were dressed in rat costumes running across the stage and getting up to no good. They were soon replaced by older dancers on pointe, who continued the rodent antics and spooked Clara, who had been asleep with the Nutcracker in her arms. Let me tell you, this was likely the most amusing section of the show. The rats swung cymbals over each other’s heads, jumped into fellow rats arms, and fought off toy soldiers with their tails. The comedic timing of the dancers was amazing, and no matter where you looked, you could see something funny and light-hearted going on. My sister, who has rats (don’t ask–they’re cute, but unusual pets), begged me for details of the scene when I returned home, and I gladly recounted them.
After the battle scene, at least in the productions I have seen, Clara typically gets into a sled with the Nutcracker, who came alive during the Battle scene, and the ballet moves on. However, in this production, Drosselmeyer summoned a new dress for Clara, who ran off stage with it. Then, another Clara came on stage, dressed in the dress and pointe shoes. However, it was not the same dancer from the first few scenes, which I realized after consulting the program. Listed as “Older Clara”, Xochitl Atienza wasted no time establishing herself as Clara, and had a wonderful stage presence. Clad in her new red, gold, and white dress, she boarded the sled with the Nutcracker.
You might be wondering, “Kate, what is your favorite scene?” Thank you so much for asking! My favorite scene in this production of The Nutcracker and all others, is the “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” or occasionally just known as “Snow.” Rounding out the first act of the ballet, this is likely the scene you have seen on social media. Snow falls from the ceiling and the ballerinas, clad in white costumes, twirl around the stage. I am sure if someone looked at me during this scene, they would see stars in my eyes as I watched the snowflakes pirouette around the stage, majestic and ethereal.
The music, set, costumes, and props used during this scene were spectacular, and transported me into another dimension as I watched in wonder. The Snow Queen and King, played by Erin Blair and Francisco Rivera, appeared on stage and stole everyone’s breath away with their strong, moving duet. This year, I also have a newfound appreciation for the dancers. A dancer friend of mine mentioned how difficult the scene is, due to the slippery “snow” on the floor and the non-stop dancing. I’m told that many ballerinas come off stage crying and panting, due to the physical difficulty of the sequence. You couldn’t tell from these dancers, as they handled the challenge with grace and elegance. (I would like to see people who say that “dance is not a sport” try and do all of that in one go.) As the curtain closed for intermission and the lights came back up, snowflakes still danced in my head, and the scene had been everything I hoped and dreamed it would be.
When the lights came back down, the orchestra played the overture, and the curtains rose for the second act. The audience is transported to the court of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Clara is introduced and led to a seat, allowing her to observe different members of the court perform solos and duets. However, this production was different than any I had seen before. Instead of having the traditional dances like the Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, Russian, and Marzipan, they were replaced, which I have my own opinions about. On one hand, I enjoy seeing the traditional dances and their respective costuming and choreography. On the other hand, many of these dances have been rightfully criticized for the racial stereotypes used to display characters, and I enjoyed seeing most of the same choreography and music in a different theme. The Spanish dance was replaced with the “Court Jesters,” the Arabian with a similar “Timeless Scent,” and the Chinese dance with a solo from Clara herself. Typically, we do not see Clara do much in Act Two, so it was nice to see the dancer show off her skill in this high spirited dance. Next, we saw the Russian dance replaced with “High Seas,” with pirates doing high kicks, which is not something I thought I would see, but nonetheless enjoyed. Instead of Marzipan, we saw a parallel “Porcelain Dolls,” and to finish off the adjustments, the Mother Ginger sequence was replaced with Mother Time, who managed to get the audience clapping in time to the music.
Next, we have the final few dances, with the “Waltz of the Flowers” being my favorite part of Act Two. With the same dancers who portrayed the Snowflakes, there was an otherworldly sort of energy that they exuded as they spun around the stage, cloaked in flowery skirts. The little rats made a reappearance as butterflies for the flower garden, and the Dewdrop Fairy’s solo was breathtakingly beautiful. Then came the Sugar Plum Fairy, played by Hailey Flanagan, and the best way I can describe the performance is to point out that the little girl seated next to us would scream as loud as she could out of excitement whenever the Sugar Plum Fairy came on stage.
The production rounded out with solos from the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, bows from the cast, and a showering of applause from the audience. Receiving a standing ovation, it seemed that the entire crowd enjoyed the performance as much as I did. As an overall note, I thoroughly enjoyed the set design and costuming used in this production, and there were always more little details to see throughout the performance. Everyone did a fantastic job, and I felt exhilarated as I walked out of the theater to my car.
I would encourage anyone who has not seen The Nutcracker live to find somewhere to see it, as I feel that my holiday season is not completed without a viewing of it.