Nutcracker Facts:

The Nutcracker is Tchaikovsky's third ballet (Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake are the first 2).

It was first performed in December of 1892 at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre.

The Story of the Nutcracker was written by Alexandre Dumas and is an adaptation of E.T.A Hoffman's The Nutcracker and The Mouse King.

Since the 1960s, "The Nutcracker" has been danced by countless ballet companies, especially in North America.

The music from "The Nutcracker" is used in many films, especially Christmas-related movies.