This magical Christmas season, SDT will bring to stage the world's favourite and most famous ballet - The Nutcracker, performed at The Esplanade Theatre. This version, first staged in 2011, is set in the pre WWI, turn of the century Shanghai, and features your favourite characters - Clara, the Snow Queen, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier, who will dance their way into your heart.

With staging and choreography by SDT Artistic Director Janek Schergen, The Nutcracker is danced to a soaring score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, featuring some of the world's most iconic tunes, as well as costumes and sets designed by local designer Aaron Yap.

The Nutcracker is an enchanting tale featuring Clara and her adventures after she receives a beautifully-crafted nutcracker doll from Dr Drosselmeyer.

In Shanghai, the well-respected family, the Nightingales are hosting a party. Drosselmeyer, a rather aristocratic gentleman, and his nephew Kristian, are one of the guests at the party. Drosselmeyer presents the youngest daughter, Clara, with a German Nutcracker doll as a gift, which he has cast a spell on.

The evening draws to a close and the party is over. It is long past Clara's bedtime, but she is still awake. She goes downstairs to look for the Nutcracker and the spell begins to unfold. Suddenly, the house is overrun by huge mice! Handsome toy soldiers come to Clara's rescue and the Nutcracker battles with the King Rat. Eventually, the Nutcracker defeats the rat with Clara's help.

As a reward, Clara is taken on a magical journey to the Land of Snow where she meets the Snow ing and Queen and her snowflake subjects. Clara continues her journey further until she arrives at the Kingdom of Sweets and is greeted by the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier. Everyone from the land of Sweets comes to entertain Clara with wondrous dances and she is enchanted by the toy soldiers, the Waltz of the Flowers and sights of exotic foreign counties.