Tradition, Twirled: The Nutcracker Gets the Vero Treatment

Ballet is not usually at the top of my weekend wish list. So when a friend suggested Nutcracker on the Indian River at Riverside Theatre, I said yes, but with that kind of inner voice telling me I'd already seen The Nutcracker more than enough times to get the idea.

Then the curtain rose, and within minutes, I realized just how wrong I’d been—in the best possible way. It was another reminder of how easy it is to be wonder-blind to what’s right in our own backyard, assuming the finest cultural experiences only happen in places like New York. Ballet Vero Beach’s Nutcracker—with its inspired Indian River adaptation—absolutely hits it out of the park, proving that world-class performances are thriving right here in Vero.

Under Adam Schnell's direction, Ballet Vero Beach delivers a production that would not look out of place at Lincoln Center. The house was packed and the performance concluded with a thunderous and long-lingering standing ovation.

Ballet Vero Beach's production of this Christmas classic traded the snowy New York setting for Vero Beach in 1919.

Manatees glide through dream sequences. Dolphins arc where sugar plums usually hover. Land crabs scuttle across a lagoon-lit stage.

The performance was so spectacular I wanted to learn more about the history of this Christmas tradition.

The Nutcracker's journey from Russian curiosity to American institution unfolds in fascinating stages. When Tchaikovsky's ballet premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, critics found it lacking compared to his earlier successes. The work remained largely obscure and contained within Russian borders until its mid-20th century revival.

Everything changed with George Balanchine's 1954 New York City Ballet production, which reimagined the Nutcracker for American audiences. The timing aligned perfectly with mid-century America's expanding (and increasingly commercialized) Christmas celebrations—The Nutcracker displayed spectacular costumes, enchanting storytelling, and Tchaikovsky's beloved score in an accessible holiday package. Television broadcasts in 1957 and 1958 brought Balanchine's version into homes across the country, cementing the Nutcracker as a seasonal tradition as American as apple pie.

So if you missed it this year, make sure you get tickets for next year and add it to the list of annual Vero holiday traditions.