It is hot cocoa season. It is hot toddy season. It is fluffy sock season. It is probably not tour-the-neighborhood-with-joyful-carolers season. But it is definitely still Nutcracker season. Dance fans and the ballet-curious have a number of options when it comes to enjoying the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the comfort of home. PNB is offering $39 Nutcracker tickets for unlimited streaming of an archival performance, from December 18th through December 26th ($55 early access starts December 11th). This is George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, staged by Judith Fugate with Peter Boal and Garielle Whittle, with scenic and costume designs by Ian Falconer, and lighting design by James F. Ingalls. It’s been presented at PNB since 2015, following the three-decade-plus reign of the Stowell and Sendak Nutcracker.

Similarly, Bellevue’s Emerald Ballet Theatre is streaming their filmed 2019 production of The Nutcracker from December 11th through December 13th, but for free (yes, donations are accepted). Evergreen City Ballet is donning tutus and masks and going forward with Nutcracker Suites, streamed documentary dance films, with three separate casts, and music provided by the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra. ‘Performance’ dates are December 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27. Nutcracker productions are almost always a big moment for ballet students of all ages, so Evergreen’s rotating casts are helping keep younger dancers’ dreams (of sugar plum fairies and more) alive. Tickets are available at $30/$75 levels.