We're heading to the Land Of Sweets this week and reviewing The Nutcracker ballet, an annual seasonal staple around the globe! The 1892 ballet proved to be Pyotr Tchaikovsky's swansong, serving as a capstone on a composing career that brought Russian music to western audiences. Today, the ballet brings in more than $50 million in annual ticket sales to support dance companies and education... but what made it so popular in the first place? Sure, it features iconic songs like the March, the Russian Dance, and the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, but the remarkable history of The Nutcracker goes deeper than we realized!

James & Connor are talking holiday traditions! We look at the ballet's striking stats, meet Connor's (actual) 5'11" nutcracker Nick and the world's LARGEST functional nutcracker, and talk about some idiosyncrasies between different adaptations of the ballet. We'll explore Tchaikovsky's legendary career, from the 1812 Overture to Swan Lake. The Mixtaper has lost his head with some 19th-century Fact Or Spin tidbits about superstitions, giant bees, and grand theft Celesta during the Waltz Of The Dastard. Then we learn what sugar plums actually are and share our thoughts on the plot, characters, and music that make up this Christmas classic!

Have you seen The Nutcracker live? What's your favorite version of the ending? Have you ever had a sugar plum?! And... how do you decorate your tree? Let us know in the comments or on any of our social media! See you next week for our own tradition-- the annual Naughty Or Nice competition!

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Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

8:27 Modern Nutcracker Statistics

12:09 About Pyotr Tchaikovsky

18:19 About The Nutcracker

21:45 Why Did The Ballet Get So Famous?

26:58 Fact Or Spin

33:21 Tchaikovsky Was Afraid Of Losing His Head

37:31 He Was A Musical Secret Agent

42:47 The Original Ballet Avoided 13 Of Everything

47:01 The Original Nutcracker Was Quite The Buzz

53:53 Breaking Down The Ballet

54:15 What Are Sugarplums?

56:23 The Plot: Act I

59:06 The Plot: Act II

1:01:17 The Music

1:03:51 The Suite

1:10:52 The Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy

1:12:23 Decorating The Christmas Tree

1:15:49 Full Ballet Vs. Suite?

1:16:50 Final Spin

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