1. Romantic Era Dance

2. Romantic Era Ballet
Brought the ballerina to new heights of glamour and popularity
Male dancer's role decreased
The Golden Age of Ballet

3. The Golden Age of Ballet
Ballet became supremely popular during the Romantic Era.
The most important composer and ballet choreographer is Tchaikovsky

4. The Nutcracker Suite
The Romanticism movement saw the Golden Age of ballet develop, as we see in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. The ballet is a narrative fantasy, for it shows the toys of a child coming to life and having an adventure. Part of the Nutcracker Suite is the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," a fantasy of magic, whim, and emotion typical of the Romantic period. The Nutcracker shows two key elements of the Romantic Period:
a tendency to portray life as it is not; it may distort the real world in order to escape from it, and
reason came in second to feeling and intuition. Writers abandon the old rules and started using stylized methods.

5. The Nutcracker Plot Synopsis
Exposition
A mysterious magician and toymaker once invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population.
In revenge, the wicked Mouse Queen cast a spell on Drosselmeyer's nephew, Hans-Peter.
Transformed him into an ugly nutcracker doll.
The only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King and for a young girl to love and care for him in spite of his awful appearance.

6. Rising Action
Drosselmeyer gives his nephew to Clara as a Christmas gift, hoping to end the curse.
At the end of the Christmas party, Clara goes downstairs and finds Drosselmeyer waiting to put her into a magical land
The magician summons the Mouse King and he and The Nutcracker fight.

7. Climax
The Nutcracker slays the Mouse King, but only through the intervention of Clara, who, out of compassion, saves the Nutcracker's life.
Hans-Peter is restored to his real self.

8. Falling Action
Clara and The Nutcracker (now Hans-Peter) travel to the Land of Snow, then the Sugar Garden in the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy
Drosselmeyer honors them for their bravery.

9. Denoument
Returning to reality, Clara runs out to Drosselmeyer, but sees the human form of The Nutcracker instead
Drosselmeyer prays that his efforts will be rewarded.
His nephew returns; the spell has indeed been broken.