My First Nutcracker

BalletMet brings My First Nutcracker to the Ohio Theatre on December 22 and 23, 2026, with both performances starting at 11 AM. It's a one-hour, sensory-friendly version of the company's full production, built for its youngest fans and for any child who might prefer a shorter, less crowded and more casual environment. If you've got little ones who can't sit through a full-length ballet, this is the one to take them to.

The Nutcracker is the big holiday tradition BalletMet returns to every year, and My First Nutcracker is their "just-the-right-length" take on it. The story comes from E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story, with original choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and music by Tchaikovsky. It's the same magic—the costumes, the dance, the holiday atmosphere—just condensed into an hour that's easier for kids to handle.

BalletMet has been doing this since its first Nutcracker hit the stage in December 1978, so the production now spans about 40 years of history. The company itself started that same year with a grant from the Battelle Memorial Institute Foundation, launching with three staff and 12 dancers. Since then it's grown into one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the US, staging 60 to 70 performances a year. Their longest-running version of The Nutcracker dates back to 2004, choreographed by Gerard Charles and Robert Post with a narrative voiceover by actor Sean Connery.

Both shows are at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State Street in Columbus, at 11 AM on December 22 and 23.