In New York City, more than 100,000 people each year attend New York City Ballet’s famed production of The Nutcracker, staged and choreographed by George Balanchine. Some love The Nutcracker.

At “The Nutcracker’s” premiere on Dec. 18, 1892, in St. Petersburg, the ballet paid homage to the czar and his empire, and within its affectionate tale of family celebration and childhood ...

But it wasn’t until Walt Disney used Tchaikovsky’s music in “Fantasia” and, later, when George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet adopted “The Nutcracker” that it earned wide reknown.

Jeffrey Brown: It's part of a broader movement in the art form. "The Nutcracker" was first staged in 1892 by Russia's Mariinsky Ballet. The New York City Ballet, which premiered George Balanchine ...