My local Nutcracker performance serves as a simple reminder to slow down and embrace the magic of December. Like many Southerners, the holiday seasons of my childhood were outlined by traditions ...

Every winter, dance companies across the U.S. present one very particular ballet for holiday audiences, "The Nutcracker." (SOUNDBITE OF TCHAIKOVSKY'S "THE NUTCRACKER, OP. 71, ACT 1: NO. 2, MARCH") ...

CHANG: For many, going to local performances of this Tchaikovsky ballet is a treasured family tradition. And for ballet companies, it's big business, as NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas reports. ANASTASIA ...