Opinion: ‘The Nutcracker’ tickets cost $1,400? Why is it okay for me to skip it?

It’s no wonder the company invested nearly $5 million in the flashy version. The idea is to make your audience feel thoroughly entertained and want to come back for more.

I don’t want to burst your sugar bubble here, but here’s my message to all “The Nutcracker” fans: Now it’s time to move on to another ballet.

As someone who has written about arts and culture for much of my journalism career, I have attended numerous performances of “The Nutcracker.” At this point, it’s probably closer to 50. I would be lying if I said I never enjoyed it. The ballet’s tale of a girl and her fantastical transformation from a nutcracker to a prince, and their eventual journey to a land of sweets and magic, can be sweet and captivating. And Tchaikovsky’s music is so full of aural sparkle that it sounds like Christmas.

But ballet can be a difficult piece to crack, especially for younger audiences. It’s full of scary elements (think fight scene with an oversized rat). And at around two hours long, it may test children’s patience. Trust me. I’ve seen too many families have to wrestle with all of these issues and leave the theater clearly not happy.

And that’s after they spent hundreds of dollars on tickets. I know a former co-worker whose “Nutcracker” tab netted him $1,400 this year for a family of five! — and don’t pay small sums for souvenirs and snacks to appease your offspring and get them through Act II.

also <호두까기 인형>Let’s not forget that there is also a problematic element of how stereotypes can be propagated. For Act 2, we’re thinking about Chinese and Arabian-themed numbers, which may be downright offensive by today’s standards, but some companies are rethinking these to avoid these issues.

Nonetheless, the real problem I have with “The Nutcracker” is that for too many families and individuals, it is their only dance event, and in some cases, their only cultural event. The thing is that they attend all year round. And even if you cherish ballet for some of the reasons mentioned above, I would argue that we could all benefit from a little more art in our complex and stressful lives. Plus, part of the joy of going to see live entertainment is the thrill of the unexpected. Or at least the thrill of seeing more than what often amounts to holiday trivia.

My particular cultural passion these days is theatre. And living in New York, I’ve been blessed to see a lot of Broadway shows. But when I think back to the production I enjoyed most last year, it wasn’t the flashy, much-anticipated Broadway musical, but a 75-minute off-Broadway play that was an oddly poetic take on the Frankenstein story. Visiting delegation from Northern Ireland.

Of course, there’s nothing to say you can’t have it both ways. That means you can enjoy “The Nutcracker” and see another ballet or two. In fact, the ballet company is putting in a lot of effort to attract the attention of audiences for ‘The Nutcracker.’ The Atlanta Ballet, for example, is already pushing “The Nutcracker” crowds to buy tickets to the company’s exciting new ballet in February, about the life of fashion maestro Coco Chanel.

“I wish people would see more of what we do,” said Tom West, executive director of Atlanta Ballet.

I also know that holiday traditions are holiday traditions in some families. And because “The Nutcracker” is part of the season, it’s like quitting baking Christmas cookies or chopping down the tree.

Lauren Sikora, a New Jersey resident and regular audience member of “The Nutcracker,” said she has been appearing in several productions since she was five, including the famous New York City Ballet version. Sikora, now 41, continues her tradition by taking her young daughter with her.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas until we go,” Sikora said.

To be clear, without people like Sikora and the thousands of others who buy tickets to “The Nutcracker,” we probably would have had far fewer opportunities to see the dance for the rest of the year.

Again, “The Nutcracker” is the engine that moves the trains of many ballet companies, many of which are non-profit organizations working tirelessly to balance their budgets. Atlanta Ballet is no exception, according to data from Dance/USA, which represents companies across the United States. For 20 institutions recently surveyed, sales of “The Nutcracker” account for 42% to 79% of annual ticket revenue.

And businesses are feeling the pinch, especially after the pandemic, which has forced them to close for months and put them in an even more precarious position financially.

Kellee Edusei, executive director of Dance/USA, said dance groups are “still reeling from the massive organizational changes” of the COVID era. Edusei is seeing a rebound in ticket sales, but audiences in particular are craving the comfort of familiar productions as part of that recovery, she added.

For better or worse, you can’t get more familiar than “The Nutcracker.” I’ll be skipping it myself this year, but if you and your family can have some fun during the holidays, definitely go see it.

Remember: There are 11 more months of dancing left on the calendar.