Getting to the Nutcracker

Every Christmas The Nutcracker Ballet is performed in cities all over the world. Getting to The Nutcracker takes you inside the Herculean effort to produce this timeless story. Director Serene Meshel-Dillman, a former dancer at the School of American Ballet, shows you an intimate, behind-the-curtain view of the dancers, their teachers and families. Los Angeles-based Marat Daukayev Ballet Theatre, led by the former Kirov star, allowed the filmmakers unlimited access; the auditions, the rigorous hours of training, the joy of landing a principal role and the pain of losing one. The profiled dancers are passionate people who, with their families, make incredible sacrifices of time and money just so that they may dance. You hear their dreams and share their triumphs and countless unexpected turns. You see it all, from talented teen artists with a future in dance to the younger, sweet children excitedly taking their turns on stage.