Backstage at The Nutcracker

Traveler photographer Bob Krist goes backstage to shoot the making of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker.

Nothing puts you in the mood for the holidays like seeing The Nutcracker, and I was fortunate enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at the wonderful production of Balanchine’s Nutcracker, put on by the Pennsylvania Ballet at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music.

This is a big production, using some 120 kids in two casts, as well as the members of the professional company. The Academy of Music is a beautiful jewel box of a theater that’s a perfect setting. This is the 41st year the company has presented the show, and it’s easy to see why it’s become a favorite for several generations of Philadelphia theatergoers.

The show runs weekends through December 31st. For more information and tickets, visit, www.paballet.org. And if you’re thinking of a great Christmas gift for that photographer on your list, check out the photo seminars taught by National Geographic Traveler photographers.