THOSE fed up of watching the Nutcracker every single Christmas can start the ballet season with something a little different: the Snow Queen.

The slight different-from-the-usual-choice of fairytale is the third touring production by Ballet Theatre UK, a mid-scale company which has responded to theatres who said audiences were becoming bored of seeing the same stories each and every year.

Julie Moore - whose son Christopher is the company’s artistic director - explained: “A lot of big companies do only the standard productions and a lot of theatre companies were a bit fed up of the same things going round and round.

“We thought we would come up with an idea which people would understand, but was a bit different.”

The performance on Thursday, October 6, will be the second at the Swan Theatre and audiences will no doubt be expecting something a little bit special after last year’s Cinderella took them to the fashion houses of Paris.

And this is exactly what Ballet Theatre UK hope to bring to Worcester, which is also the beginning of the tour.

Christopher said: “I’ve taken inspiration from an eclectic mix of classical dance, theatre, popular culture and literature to develop this new production as an interpretation of traditional classical ballet The Snow Queen.

“The production is set in a rural Scandinavian village caught in the grip of the Snow Queen’s spell of eternal winter, along with the captivating score this tale promises to whisk the audience away on a festive fantasy adventure.

“Andersen’s original text features many wonderful characters and themes which have become the central inspiration for the expressive choreography and direction of the production.

“The process of creating any new ballet, especially one with a narrative theme, is an excellent way to challenge and develop the company.”

- Tickets, which cost £15 or £13 concession and £11 for children, are available from the Worcester Live box office, on 01905 611427 or by visiting worcesterlive.co.uk.