Before The Nutcracker became everybody's favourite Christmas ballet, it was staged in Tsarist Russia. With reference to the glorious history of the Imperial Ballet company in St. Petersburg, this lecture discusses how Tchaikovsky came to write his magical scoreand Petipa created its choreography, and also tells the story of the dancers who created the leading roles. It also explores Tchaikovsky's role in transforming classical ballet into the vibrant art form it is today.