The Nutcracker has a large cast, and nobody on stage says a name out loud. This page lists the characters in the order they appear, with what each one does and how to spot them. Read it with your child before the show.
Names and details change from one ballet company to the next. The notes below say where.
At the Christmas party
Clara. The girl at the center of the story. She is given the nutcracker, and she saves it in the battle. In some productions she is called Marie. A child dances the part in some companies, and an adult in others.
Fritz. Clara’s younger brother. He is noisy and fond of toy soldiers. He breaks the nutcracker.
The parents. They host the party. Their family name is Stahlbaum in many productions. The grandparents often join the last dance of the party, a slow old dance for the grown-ups.
Drosselmeyer. Clara’s godfather, a maker of clocks and toys. He often wears a cloak and an eye patch. He brings the nutcracker, and in many versions he is the one who sets the magic going. Watch him near the clock at midnight.
The dancing dolls. Drosselmeyer’s gifts to the party. They are life-size dolls that move in stiff, jerky steps. Many productions have a pair of clowns and a toy soldier.
The Nutcracker. A wooden toy in the shape of a soldier. He comes to life at midnight and leads the toy soldiers. After the battle he turns into a prince.
In the battle and the snow
The Mouse King. The leader of the mice. He wears a crown. In some productions he has seven heads, as he does in the old story. He fights the Nutcracker and loses.
The mice and the toy soldiers. The two armies. Students from the ballet school often dance these parts, so your child may see dancers their own age.
The Snow Queen and the Snow King. Some companies add this pair to lead the snow scene. All companies have the snowflakes, a large group of dancers in white.
In the Land of Sweets
The Sugar Plum Fairy. The ruler of the Land of Sweets. She welcomes Clara and the Prince. Near the end she dances alone to the bell sound of the celesta. It is the leading ballerina role in the ballet.
Her Cavalier. The Sugar Plum Fairy’s partner. A cavalier is a knight. He lifts and turns her in their dance together.
Chocolate. Dancers in a Spanish dance, often with a trumpet tune and castanets.
Coffee. A slow, quiet dance. The music is based on a lullaby from Georgia, a country east of the Black Sea.
Tea. A short, bright dance with a high flute.
The Russian dancers. A fast dance with high jumps. Its name is the Trepak. In some productions the dancers are candy canes with hoops.
The Reed Flutes. Dancers who play little pipes, to a tune for three flutes. In some productions they are shepherds, and in others they are pieces of marzipan.
Mother Ginger. She wears a skirt as wide as a tent. Small children, called the Polichinelles, run out from under it and dance. The part is often played by a man on stilts.
The flowers and Dewdrop. A large group dances the Waltz of the Flowers. In some versions, a soloist called Dewdrop leads them.
Some companies have changed the Coffee and Tea dances in recent years, so that they do not copy old stereotypes. Your company’s program will say how it stages them.
Who dances to which music
| Character | Music |
|---|---|
| Children at the party | March |
| The Nutcracker and the Mouse King | The Battle |
| Snowflakes | Waltz of the Snowflakes |
| Chocolate | Spanish Dance |
| Coffee | Arabian Dance |
| Tea | Chinese Dance |
| Russian dancers | Trepak |
| Reed Flutes | Dance of the Reed Flutes |
| Mother Ginger | Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles |
| Flowers | Waltz of the Flowers |
| Sugar Plum Fairy | Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy |
A game for the theater
Before the show, let your child pick three characters to watch for. At intermission, ask which ones have appeared. All of the sweets come in the second act.
Print and play
Read the whole tale in The Nutcracker story for kids. Hear each dance with the Nutcracker Suite listening guide, and tick them off on the Nutcracker listening map. For the full list of music, see Nutcracker music in order.
For the day itself, read taking kids to The Nutcracker ballet.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.