28 Dec 2010. In The Nutcracker, choreography by Vasili Ivanovich. The story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was written by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Alexandre Dumas' adaptation of the story was set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and has become the most popular ballet performed around Christmas time. It is especially appealing to children, but it is also much loved by ballet fans for moments of exquisite choreography. Because the ballet centres around a young girl's Christmas gift of a life-size nutcracker, it has become a standard performance during the Christmas holiday season.