Nothing captures the spirit of the season like The Nutcracker and its oddball tale of candy-striped fever dreams. And while Nashville Ballet’s beloved Nashville’s Nutcracker just wrapped its 10th annual run, don’t sweat if you missed it. This year brings the unexpected gift of a second professional production at the ready, offering one more shot at Tchaikovsky’s holiday masterwork. The Ryman will host a matinee performance of Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. This version won’t spotlight Music City history the way Nashville Nutcracker does in transporting audiences to 1897’s Tennessee Centennial Exposition; instead, Moscow Ballet presents the work in its traditional form. The production is an ornate spectacle, complete with handmade backdrops and costumes, more than 40 dancers, 10-foot-tall puppets and a staggering 60-foot growing Christmas tree. Moscow Ballet is celebrating 25 years of touring this Christmas colossus, so join them for one day only as the company makes a rare Nashville visit. MATTHEW FOX
Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker
