The National Ballet of Canada is bringing a high-definition version of its holiday classic, The Nutcracker, to Canadian cinema audiences next month.
The Toronto-based ballet company plans to simulcast a single matinee performance of The Nutcracker on Dec. 22.
The National Ballet of Canada will break new ground in a performance next month of The Nutcracker, about a little girl who is transported into a magical land.
(Bruce Zinger/National Ballet of Canada)
It will be shown live in 69 Cineplex Entertainment theatres from British Columbia to Quebec. Cineplex does not operate theatres in the Atlantic provinces.
It is the first time the ballet company has experimented with high-definition simulcast, a format that has become increasingly popular for opera over the last two years.
It plans to film the performance with seven cameras at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
"The National Ballet's The Nutcracker has been hailed as the best on the planet," said Karen Kain, artistic director.
 "We are thrilled that with this unprecedented broadcast, Canadians across the country can experience this wonderful holiday tradition live in HD from the Four Seasons Centre."
The Christmas fantasy is about a little girl transported to world of dancing bears, a sugar plum fairy and a magical Nutcracker.
Principal dancers Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté are expected to dance the lead roles of the fairy and Peter/The Nutcracker.
The 115-minute show will include an intermission. Tickets are $9.95 for children ages three to 12, $17.95 for seniors and $19.95 for adults and children over 12.
Ticket sales begin Friday online and at participating theatre box offices.
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