The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Step Afrika! team up for 'The Nutcracker'

Forget the visions of sugarplums dancing in your head. What about all the versions of "The Nutcracker" dancing on stages in every American city? Tchaikovsky's ballet may not have shaken the world when he first presented it, in 1892, but in the 60 years since George Balanchine's landmark 1954 production for the New York City Ballet, it has become the holiday staple that funds half the rest of the season for many companies.