Red and Green Dance Belts

Tchaikovskys reliable classic ballet comes to the Barclay this week, presented by Festival Ballet Theatre, with guest artists from the American Ballet Theatre. A celebration of the kinds of fantastic dreams one gets after falling asleep in front of the tree after too much nog, The Nutcracker is one of the few ballets that almost anyone can appreciate. Young Clara wakes up one evening to find herself wandering in a Christmas-themed dream world, fighting against giant mice and befriending a living nutcracker prince. Even your typical ballet neophyte is liable to at least find Tchaikovskys music charming, as it has been irrevocably associated with holiday cheer in the worlds collective unconscious.
Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 15, 2 p.m.; Sundays, 1 & 6 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 22, 2 p.m.; Mon., Dec. 24, 11 a.m. Starts: Dec. 14. Continues through Dec. 24, 2007