♪ >> NARRATOR: Tonight, a timeless holiday classic reimagined.

>> When audiences come to see this, I hope they're opening up their eyes as they were when they were children, and seeing it through the children's eyes.

>> NARRATOR: Taking you backstage and front row center.

>> I hope young audiences fall in love with ballet, and falling in love with going to the ballet, and I hope they feel like they've gone on some sort of magical ride.

>> It's a magical way to bring people into the art form and introduce people to the world of ballet.

I think it's really a awesome holiday tradition for everyone to watch.

♪ >> NARRATOR: Join us for the magic of The Nutcracker next.

Major funding for this program is made possible by Kathy and Gary Anderson, by Jim Hodge, and by the Wennerstrom Phillips Fund for Classical Music.

Additional corporate support is provided by IU Credit Union.

♪ >> This is two minutes.

Two minutes to top of show.

This is final places.

Places, please, for Fritz, Marie, mother, father, butler and all maids.

Anyone not yet in places, this is final places.

Places, please.

♪ Hurry, everyone, this is two minutes, two minutes to top of show.

Front of house has confirmed we are set for an on-time start.

So this is an early warning on lights 5 through 11.

>> Lights standing by.

>> Orchestra is tuning.

Stand by maestro entrance with spot one up on maestro.

>> Pit ready and maestro listening.

>> This is early warning on rail for main curtain out.

>> Copy that.

Rail is ready.

>> Stage left is ready.

Stage right is ready.

Isabella, please confirm places when you have them.

>> I have places.

Back ready.

>> Confirmed presets are green and safe.

>> Light's green.

>> Here we go.

Stand by maestro walk out.

This will be walk and prelude.

House lights to half.

>> House to half.

>> Ready to walk.

Go, maestro.

>> Walking.

>> Turning the show over.

We are live.

Have a great show, everybody.

[ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Clock striking midnight ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Laughter ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ >> It is very rewarding to work with all these different creatives.

And it's finding that common ground and what, at the end of the day, is best going to propel the story, which is the most important thing.

>> NARRATOR: For more than 130 years, the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker” has enchanted audiences all over the world.

At the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, choreographer and ballet professor Sasha Janes carefully blends favorites from the traditional ballet with innovative adaptations for a 21st century audience.

>> I feel like whoever's at the party in the first act must then be represented in the second act.

Like when you have a dream or you've been to a party and you're like, wait.

I've seen that person before.

Weren't they just... so we can make the connection through Marie's mind.

>> Sasha's ballet is very whimsical, and it has a lot of tie-ins.

I would say the plot is very deep.

There's a lot of moments of connection.

♪ >> NARRATOR: Sasha preserves many of the conventions found in classic performances of the ballet.

At the same time, he also weaves stronger ties between the characters in the first act and the second.

>> I think this Nutcracker builds a sense of unity among the two different acts in a way that makes the storytelling very creative and imaginative.

>> Sasha came in with this amazing vision of how to reframe and rethink about the tradition of the Nutcracker.

So for me to be working with such an innovative thinker as Sasha and collaborating with that group, but also to be part of such a long tradition, that's incredible to help re-envision for the future.

♪ >> NARRATOR: In traditional performances, Marie is swept away to a magical dream world with the help of her Uncle Drosselmeyer.

In this re-imagined presentation, Sasha opts to change the role of Drosselmeyer to a female lead.

>> I think it was just more impactful to have a young girl have a role model that's this really fantastical, mystical sort of woman.

>> For Marie, having the aunt be the mentor, it kind of creates this more real feeling of a connection where I think Marie can actually relate more to as a female role model.

♪ >> NARRATOR: The opening scene invites audiences to attend a spectacular holiday celebration at an Austrian embassy, where Marie and her family experience a parade of travelers from far away.

Then in Act Two, many of these same guests reappear as magnificent characters in Marie's dream, celebrated through a variety of cultural costumes and dance.

♪ >> T here's so many amazing changes, from Drosselmeyer being a woman, to the wonderful interpretation of the cultures in the first act and how they parallel the cultures in the second act.

He doen't do anything because it's the way it's always been done.

He does everything in this ballet with an eye to a reason for the future.

♪ >> NARRATOR: State-of-the-art stage direction, video design and projection help transport audiences into a holiday wonderland.

>> We decided to create this box that appeared to be that way at the beginning.

But then as the ballet goes on and the storytelling goes on, we subvert that space in many different ways, allowing us to sort of time travel and space travel to all of these different places in a way that you wouldn't know.

>> Can we do that quick transition?

This is 30 -- 39.

This ballet has these wonderful universal themes.

It's a gathering of family and community.

There are themes of goodness and bravery and generosity.

And I think these are all universal qualities that we aspire to, which are qualities that transcend differences in culture and languages, and differences in even time and place.

♪ >> I hope the audience members walk away with a huge smile on their face, just joy in their heart, and excited to come back next year.

>> It's cool to get to bring an audience into my own snow globe of the little world of Nutcracker and let them experience the story with me.

>> I hope young audiences fall in love with ballet and fall in love with going to the ballet, because they're our audience of the future to keep the artwork alive.

And I want them to forget where they are and forget that they're seeing a ballet and just go out and say that was an awesome two hours I just spent watching the ballet.

I didn't know it was ballet.

And I hope they feel like they've gone on some sort of magical ride.

♪ [ Cheers and applause ] [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] [ Bicycle bell ringing ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheers and applause ] >> Major funding for this program is made possible by Kathy and Gary Anderson, by Jim Hodge, and by the Wennerstrom Phillips Fund for Classical Music.

Additional corporate support is provided by IU Credit Union.