A disappointed reader tipped us off that The Washington Ballet has announced that tonight’s performance of The Nutcracker has been cancelled due to what the company is calling a dancer strike.

The Washington Ballet released the following statement:

Despite the utmost efforts of The Washington Ballet to satisfy the concerns
of the dancers of The Washington Ballet – including agreeing to sign an
Interim Agreement to enable the parties to continue bargaining without
interruption – the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, which
represents the dancers, has informed the company that it will strike The
Nutcracker beginning on Thursday, December 15.

The Post has more details, including statements from the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union representing the dancers, who are claiming they have been locked out, and have not called for a strike.

This will mark the first time in more than 40 years that the Washington Ballet will have interrupted their regular run of The Nutcracker — the show that provides the bulk of revenue for the rest of the company’s season. Ticketholders for tonight’s show will all receive refunds, but as of this writing future shows are still in doubt. Surely both sides realize the stakes involved during the holiday season — going to see The Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition for many. We’ll be monitoring the situation closely, and any movement of the Sugar Plum Fairy toward the stage at the Warner Theatre will be updated here as soon as we hear about it.