In December 2021, Crimson Academy performed The Nutcracker: A Modern Tale. They performed at Pottsville Area High School on December 16 and 17. The modern twist with the performance is that the toys were different, there were different styles of dance besides ballet, and Clara was named Cara! There were two different Caras: McKenzie Goodman on December 16 and Lila Maley on December 17.

At the beginning, the carolers opened the show, then it opened up to the party scene. During the party scene, all of the little girls that attended the party got different toys. American Girl dolls and LOL dolls were two of the toys that they got, and some of the youngest dancers at CAPA were able to perform.

After the party, some mice came in and surrounded Cara. The mice ran away when the soldiers came. The soldiers killed some mice, and the Mouse King killed the Nutcracker. Cara hit the Mouse King with a shoe and he died. Then, Cara and the Prince danced together. The snowflakes came and danced, and that ended Act One.

The start of Act 2 involved the Prince taking Cara to the Land of the Sweets. At the Land of the Sweets, the fairies danced with the Sugar Plum Fairy. At the Land of the Sweets, the Marzipan, Arabian, and Matryoshka dolls all danced, followed by the Japanese Flower Blossoms. One of the most important dances was the Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance, performed by Allison Campion. The Russian dancers did a surprise performance. The ending dance is called the Coda, which ended the show.

Many dancers from Lengel danced in the Nutcracker including Molly Beltz, Samantha Beltz, Lauren Brennan, Kenna Corby, Jemma Daubert, Emma Dries, Ceira Kline, Lexie Scanlan, and Lyla Serrian.

CAPA will present their spring recital in June.