Majesty Ballet Theater
Vacaville's Original
Nutcracker
What do we mean when we say “Vacaville’s original Nutcracker”?
In 2013, Artistic Director Cassandra Kamakeeaina choreographed and staged a full-length Christmas ballet using music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the 1982 ballet, The Nutcracker.
Ms. Cassy’s 2013 Nutcracker ballet, titled Nightmare Before Nutcracker (inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas), was choreographed on and performed by Vacaville ballet dancers and performed exclusively for the community of Vacaville.
Though Ms. Cassy’s Nutcracker ballet has evolved and adapted over the years, the core of her choreography holds true to its beginning, and the ballet remains an endeavor for our local Vacaville community.
In 2022, Artistic Director Kamakeeaina brought her original full-length Christmas ballet to the stage as An American Nutcracker, now set in the 1940s.
An American Nutcracker
Story
An American Nutcracker is a beloved Christmas ballet about a young girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll from her godfather, Drosselmeyer, on Christmas Eve. Wishing that she could one day dance with a real prince similar to her nutcracker, Clara falls asleep. Suddenly, Clara is awoken by scheming rats running all around her room. Frightened, she runs into Drosselmeyer, who brings the Nutcracker doll to life in order to defend her from the rats, and their Rat King! A battle pursues between the rats and the soldiers, commanded by the nutcracker, with Clara caught in the middle! Defeat at last befalls the Rat King, and Clara and her, now Nutcracker Prince, travel through the land of snow. Met by the magnificent Snow Queen, her snowflakes dance around them and lead them to the Land of Sweets. There, they are welcomed by the Bubblegum Fairy and her many citizens, all representing different American candies such as Lollipops and Rolos! The candies put on multiple performances for their new guests, including a waltz by the cotton candies! Afterwards, Clara dances with her Nutcracker Prince, and the Bubblegum Fairy wishes them farewell on their journey back home.
An American Nutcracker is the beloved story of the Nutcracker with a twist, it is set in 1940's America!
Stay tuned to see if we will perform this ballet story once more in the future! Be sure to watch our brand new Winter ballet, A Christmas Carol, premiering December 19th and 20th, 2026, at Vacaville Performing Arts Theater!
Photographs by Artistic Captures Photography