A Magical Night That Gives Back: The Nutcracker Supports Dancers' Futures

This beloved ballet fairytale returns to the National Theatre stage as part of the 2025/26 season. Thanks to the collaboration between the National Theatre and the Dance Career Transition Foundation, this Advent evening will become not only an artistic experience, but also a concrete gesture of support for those who have dedicated their lives to dance.

The Dance Career Transition Foundation is the only institution in the Czech Republic that provides long-term assistance to professional dancers, performers, and circus artists as they navigate the transition to a new career path. The programme "A Ticket that Helps Czech Dance" offers audiences a simple way to contribute: a portion of the ticket price for the performance on 22 December will go directly to education, retraining, and career counselling for dancers who are ending their active careers due to age or injury.

Why is this support so vital?

• Ballet training at conservatories lasts eight years – the longest of all arts disciplines.
• Most dancers suffer serious injuries during their careers; more than a quarter are forced to retire early.
• Three-quarters of ballet artists leave the stage before the age of 30, and only a few continue to dance into their forties.
• Early retirement for dancers has been abolished in the Czech Republic, and no substitute social programme has been introduced. Meanwhile, salaries in many domestic companies remain far below the national average.

Dancers give the best of themselves to their audiences – often under challenging conditions and without a secure future.
Thanks to you, the audience members who attend The Nutcracker on 22 December and purchase a ticket that helps, we can offer these artists a dignified chance to continue their professional journey.

Thank you for caring about the future of Czech dance.

More information at www.tanecnikariera.cz