PBS airing English National Ballet production

PBS will air the English National Ballet’s production of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” as “Great Performances: Nutcracker from English National Ballet,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS application. Arkansas PBS will carry the program.

More than 100 dancers and musicians perform at the London Coliseum, set against an Edwardian London backdrop and reimagined to focus on Clara throughout the story. Choreography is by English National Ballet artistic director Aaron S. Watkin and Olivier Award winner Arielle Smith.

“Our ‘Nutcracker’ respects the traditions and narrative beats of the classic story, but we’ve elevated it further,” Smith says. “There are twists and turns and new elements to keep the performers and audiences on their toes. We wanted to challenge what