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Local celebrity cameos, including Kojo Nnamdi and Fox News’ Griff Jenkins, are among the perks that separate the Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker from the 20-odd other Nutcrackers that saturate the holiday theater calendar every year, including out-of-town heavy hitters like the Moscow Ballet at Strathmore and the Joffrey Ballet at the Kennedy Center. Another thing setting them apart? Canned music. For second year in a row, and only the second time in its 35 year history, the Washington Ballet has cut its live orchestra budget, leaving snow angels to dance to a piped-in recording of Tchaikovsky’s score. The decision was a tough one, says Ballet management, necessitated by especially dire finances, but it’s one that has the Ballet’s musicians up in arms. It’s also an unforeseen casualty of the D.C. City Council’s clampdown on earmarks, one of a number that includes the Gala Hispanic Theatre. Read the full story on the Ballet here.