It's December, which means, in the world of Russian art, dance and music in America, that it's time for The Nutcracker.

There are performances of the ballet set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music all over the United States. I turned up 10 performances in Florida alone, at the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College, the Emma Parish Theater in Titusville, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, the University of South Florida in Tampa and the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. For a complete list of all the venues staging the classic version of The Nutcracker, click here.

By classic, I mean the ballet created by George Balanchine in the 1950s. But America, being America, it has also given rise to other kinds of Nutcracker performances. More than a decade ago, The Mark Morris Dance Group created The Hard Nut. Several of the traditionally female roles are danced by men, and the whole thing is set in the 1960s, complete with beehive hairdos. I saw it in Brooklyn a few years back and it is a hoot. It has become a favorite at the University of California at Berkeley, and will be performed there several times this month.

In other events, the Kirov Orchestra is playing tonight and tomorrow night at New York City's Carnegie Hall. It will perform Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden.

Tonight as well, the Torrance Performing Arts Center in Torrance, Calif. is offering Don't Drink The Water. This is a play written by Woody Allen about a family touring the Soviet Union who get pegged for spies and have to take refuge in the American Embassy. (Those of us who actually have spent time at the American Embassy in Moscow might pick another spot for refuge, like the Marriott or the Kempinski, but no matter.)

And finally, something interesting solely for the kids. New York Revels, which is dedicated to musical theatrical celebrations of the Winter Solstice, is offering The Christmas Revels at New York City's Symphony Space in five performances from December 7 to 9. The show revolves around a Russian folktake, "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship", and the Karelian Folk Music Ensemble from the Republic of Karelia in northwestern Russia will perform.

Image credit: Ladyheart at Morguefile.com