The Nutcracker

Some of Mikhail Baryshnikov's choreography for this production of "The Nutcracker" (not just the choreography for the "Snowflake Waltz") is heavily based on Vassily Vainonev's choreography for a famous 1934 Russian production of the ballet. Baryshnikov directly uses virtually all of Vaynonen's choreography for the "Snowflake Waltz" (for which Vaynonen receives screen credit), but only bits and pieces of the rest of the Vaynonen work.

Marcos Paredes, who dances both the roles of The Mouse King and the drunken guest at the Christmas party, does not receive any screen credit for playing the drunken guest.

The original CBS broadcast presentation of this production featured more narration than the later television broadcasts of it. In the original 1977 version, as the mice appear in their tuxedos, the narrator explains that, in Clara's imagination, they represent the adults at the Christmas party, and in Act II, just before the series of dances at the Kingdom of Sweets, the narrator mentions that Clara "must touch each couple to bring them to life". In the PBS version, all mention of the mice representing the adults was removed, but the narrator still commented that Clara had to bring the couples to life. On the current DVD, and on all PBS telecasts now, all narration stops after the opening scene. The narration was removed without having to cut any of the music or the dancing; both have always remained intact in all of the versions of this "Nutcracker".