It’s as much a part of the holiday season as the Christmas tree and Santa Claus. On November 25 and 26 the Neglia Ballet and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra joined forces for a performance of “The Nutcracker” at Shae’s Performing Arts Center .
On Sunday afternoon the large crowd included lots of children – may dressed up as if they were going to join the cast on stage.
Whether it was the inaugural attendance or seen dozens of times, the music, dance, and costumes of “The Nutcracker” continues to enthrall music and ballet fans year after year.
Based on the story written by E.T.A. Hoffman about a young girl’s Christmas Eve dreams, Peter Illych Tchaikovsky composed the music after being commissioned by director of the Imperial Theatres Iman Vserdojksky in 1891. Alexandre Dumas Peres adopted the story into the ballet which made its debut one year later in 1982 but it would be some 50 years later before “The Nutcracker” Ballet would become a holiday tradition.