While for some, the holiday season is about bundling up by a crackling fire, bellowing out some of Irving Berlin’s most cherished carols or guzzling down a cold cup of hard eggnog, for others it’s not quite complete without the sounds of whimsical percussion bells and the air of innocence in one of the ballet world’s most beloved holiday tales ― “The Nutcracker.”

Saturated in festive tradition and Christmas nostalgia, the century-old production continues to spread cheer all around and remains a must-see December performance for adults and children alike. 

This year the Korean National Ballet reprised its 14-year-old version of the classic ballet, in which the heroine Clara is rechristened Mary and the nutcracker, which is usually portrayed as a wooden doll, is played by a child dancer.

By bringing the beloved character to life, the ballet was given a new twist, with audience members unable to hold in their giggles and gushing as the cute child nutcracker desperately tried to keep his legs and arms as stiff and as soldier-like as possible.

Coupled with the glistening snowfall, picturesque traditional Christmas backdrop and elegant grace of principal dancers Park Ye-eun and Huh Suh-myung, this year’s production could be considered a walk down memory lane for some, and an enchanting first-time “Nutcracker” experience for others.

Although the show overall offered a wonderful night at the theater, it could be argued that the ballet was lacking the highly anticipated crescendo ― the snow-filled pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Coqueluche before a bright-blue backdrop ― that would have pushed the entire performance to the next emotionally captivating level.

Unfortunately, the show did end with a sense of something lacking intrinsically, but on the plus side, unlike many of the local productions of “The Nutcracker,” the KNB version did feature a live orchestra that added a much-needed sophisticated nuance to a show that some often consider to be quite juvenile at times.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)