Nötknäpparen med International Festival Ballet

Join us for Christmas’s most beloved ballet fairy tale as *The Nutcracker* comes to life with Tchaikovsky’s timeless music, danced by the International Festival Ballet and accompanied by a live orchestra. A spectacular performance where enchanting set design, magnificent costumes, and classical ballet create a magical experience for young and old alike.

Category & Stage	Duration	Price	Age limit
Dance, Kids Uppsala Concert & Congress, Stora salen	About 2 hours (including a break)	General admission: 700 SEK Students/youth: 630 SEK Children under 13: 450 SEK A service fee applies	None

About the Performance

Marie is at the center of the story. On Christmas Eve, she receives a nutcracker as a gift from her godfather, Drosselmeyer. When she falls asleep, she dreams of a battle between the toy soldiers led by the nutcracker and the Mouse King’s army. With Marie’s help, the Nutcracker emerges victorious and is then transformed into a prince. The prince travels with Marie to the Kingdom of Sweets. Their journey takes them through the sparkling fir forest to Zuckerburg Castle, where the ruling Sugar Plum Fairy hosts a celebration in honor of her guests.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s musical interpretation premiered on December 18, 1892, in Saint Petersburg, with choreography by Lev Ivanov, and has enchanted both children and adults ever since. This classic ballet has often been praised by critics around the world. But as the old saying goes, “It’s better to see something once than to hear about it a hundred times.” Experience the wonderful ballet “The Nutcracker” with the International Festival Ballet and the Festival Orchestra.

The magnificent set design by the brilliant theater designer Vyacheslav Okunev, the magnificent costumes, and the boundless elegance and lightness of movement of the International Festival Ballet ensemble create a dreamlike version of this classic ballet, which continues to fascinate audiences more than 100 years after its premiere.

Music: P. I. Tchaikovsky

Choreography: L. Ivanov and M. Petipa

Presented by: International Festival Ballet & Festival Orchestra

About the International Festival Ballet

The International Festival Ballet brings together dancers from over 20 nations and builds on the strong tradition of classical ballet with technical precision, artistic elegance, and expressive presence. Together with the Festival Orchestra, they create a vibrant, immersive experience featuring live music. Magnificent set design and intricately detailed costumes enhance the sense of Christmas magic in a performance that offers both grandeur and dreamlike poetry.

About the Festival Orchestra

The Festival Orchestra consists of musicians from Moldova, Ukraine, and Latvia and is led by conductor Normunds Vaicis. The orchestra specializes in the great masterpieces of classical ballet and performs music by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Debussy, and Rimsky-Korsakov. With ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and Don Quixote in its repertoire, the orchestra has established itself as a highly regarded ensemble on stages across Europe. Together with the International Festival Ballet, they offer a live musical experience in which the timeless works of classical ballet are performed with a live orchestra on stage.

Artistic Director & Conductor Normunds Vaicis