this new from emi classics, tchaikovsky the nutcracker.pleasure to have you here. >> thank you so much. >> charlie: we will leave you with the nutcracker. here it is. ♪

it's a charming story, music tchaikovsky -- something you take children to, grand parents -- it's a wonderfulxperience. >> correct me if i am wrong, i'm not an expert, but there's something very pure at ballet. there's a big buzz about spider man opening in new york, millions of dollars, off the charts. of course all this technology going, flying, special effects. we have seen that creep in with other productions of late in the last i don't know how many years. does that impact ballet? sometimes it can overshadow or smother the acting involved. >> with ballet you have to be very careful it doesn't. it's a fine balance. in the swan lake i just did recently, i used some of the projections, some projections that, kind of thing, but not overwhelming. it's part of the trend, but you still come to see dance, ballet, that's the number one issue. >> when you hire a dancer, somebody comes in, wants to audition, i am sure it's highly competitive >> oh yes. >> how do you spot passion in a dancer? >> how -- when you come to audition -- >> i assume they are trained -- >> if they take a class, morning clas

the famous tchaikovsky ballet, "swan lake." in "swan lake," the ballet, one dancer plays the black swan and the white swan. and the white swan is innocent and the black swan is a seduct seductress and playing both roles splits her and horror ensues. >> did you take certain liberties here? things you tweaked? >> "swan lake" is a ballet but it is a fairytale with gothic horror and melodrama. we tried to take the energy and turn it into the characters of the film and that kind of inspired the entire film. tavis: why this project? of all the things that come over your desk, why did you want to do this one? >> "the wrestler" was very connected to "black swan" because they're both about performance and i like them as companion pieces. they're about artists that put their bodies at risk to do what they do but one's about the highest art throughout and one the lowest art. kind of the magic and hope of cinema is that you can take an aging wrestlers at the end of his career and a young dancer at the beginning of her career, if the emotio

at one point, they stop playing tchaikovsky and put in an early r&b number. >> reporter: and here's onean -- i wouldn't call it a stinker. but it was pretty disappointing because it was trying to be naughty. it's called "the nutcracker rated 'r.'" >> reporter: didn't work? >> no. >> reporter: in all, he says "the nutcracker" trip was a positive experience. he got to see the country. and he truly insists he never got tired of the show. would you do this again? >> not next year. but as long as i'm going this way forever. i would love to see a "nutcracker" trip again. it's such a good show. and it's always different how it tells the story. it makes me laugh and makes me surprised. >> notice how he was quick to say, he wouldn't do it again next year. >> maybe the year after, 2012. >> you remember going to see the "nutcracker" when you were kids? >> i grew up in a russian household. >> yes. >> i went to see it as a kid. my wife asked me if i wanted to see it this year. >> and you said? >> the ultimate development was that she went by herself. >> you should have called me. call me next year,