Pjotr I. Tschaikovsky’s »Nutcracker«, which premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, is a Christmas classic as popular with Semperoper audiences as Dresden Stollen or the famous Striezelmarkt. In their interpretation, Aaron S. Watkin and Jason Beechey have drawn on the stories of E. T. A. Hoffmann to create a fairy-tale classical ballet set in Dresden during the festive period: On Christmas Eve, Marie is given a nutcracker that immediately becomes her prized possession. Soon, however, danger appears in the form a horde of belligerent mice. Then the nutcracker springs to life and does battle with the enemy army. Accompanied by her new protector, the girl embarks on a journey through a land of sweet dreams, and into adulthood.

The Nutcracker

Semperoper Dresden

What better way to celebrate the 200th birthday of the Semperoper Ballett than with a tribute to the genius of Vaslav Nijinsky? His name and that of the Ballets Russes are closely associated with the history of dance in Dresden.

Nijinsky

It has become a tradition for ballet companies all over the world to perform Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" at Christmas time. John Neumeier's version of "The Nutcracker", however, avoids direct reference to Christmas. In his ballet, the central character Marie celebrates her twelfth birthday and is drawn by the mysterious ballet master Drosselmeier into the fascinating world of dance. It is, in fact, a ballet about ballet itself.

Ballettzentrum Hamburg – John Neumeier

The Semperoper Ballett company performs John Neumeier's full-length homage to dance legend Vaslav Nijinsky.

John Cranko's masterpiece based on Alexander Pushkin's classic tale of romantic tragedy tells the story of the love between the shy Tatiana and the dandy Onegin.

Simon Hewett

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 28 - Dec 25, 2025

The Nutcracker · Semperoper Dresden

Dec 21, 2025 - Jan 6, 2026

The Nutcracker · Staatsoper Hamburg

Jan 18 - Feb 10, 2026

Nijinsky · Semperoper Dresden

Jun 27 - Jul 12, 2026

Onegin · Semperoper Dresden

Past events

Nov 28 - Dec 25, 2025

The Nutcracker · Semperoper Dresden

Jan 24 - Feb 23, 2025

Nijinsky · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

Semperoper Dresden

Conductor in Onegin by Tchaikovsky

Semperoper Dresden

Conductor in The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

Staatsoper Hamburg

About

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