Fun Facts about Atlanta Ballet and Nutcracker

Founded in 1929, Atlanta Ballet is the longest continuously-operating ballet company in the United States.

Our female dancers wear out more than 2,000 pairs of pointe shoes per season.

Nutcracker was first performed by Atlanta Ballet in 1964. For 44 years, Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker has been a family tradition.

The Petrov Christmas tree grows from 13 feet to 38 feet tall—equivalent to a three-story building.

Each show uses 300,000 watts of electricity—more than enough to light a stadium.

20 pounds of snow falls during each performance.

There are more than 8 tons of scenery, lighting and props used in each production—equivalent to a full tractor-trailer.

Mother Matruschka's gown in Nutcracker is made of 25 yards of red jacquard. The dancer who wears the 75-pound costume stands on a platform to make the character 15 feet tall. That's what it takes to hide nine nesting dolls!

Each scene is painted on a seamless and translucent canvas backdrop that is 30 feet tall by 70 feet wide. Each backdrop weighs 300 pounds.

The Nutcracker's mask is made of foam and weighs 2 pounds.

An eight-foot-tall evil Rat King explodes from a fiery furnace.