Ovation's A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS: OPENING NIGHT, Featuring the 2011 Lythgoe Production, Airs Today

Ovation, the only television network devoted to artists and every kind of artistic expression, will usher in the holiday season with programming celebrating theater and dance. On Thanksgiving night, Ovation will present an Ovation Original documentary special, A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS: OPENING NIGHT, which takes viewers behind- the-curtain for the Lythgoe Family's (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) quest to bring the entertaining and cheerful British "panto" musical theater tradition to American audiences for the first time. Ovation then kicks off its sixth annual programming event, "BATTLE OF THE NUTCRACKERS," featuring stunning Nutcracker productions and a chance for viewers to vote on their favorites. The popular programming event will now air for a month on Sunday afternoons in a celebration the entire family can enjoy together.

A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS: OPENING NIGHT, premiering Thanksgiving, November 22nd at 8:00pmET, is a fun, playful two-hour documentary special that gives viewers an insider's look from inception to opening night at the lavish family Los Angeles production of "Snow White Christmas," which ran at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood in 2011. The documentary follows producer Bonnie Lythgoe, producer Kris Lythgoe, producer Becky Baeling, Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Lindsay Pearce (Glee), Erich Bergen (Person of Interest) and Nigel Lythgoe (So You Think You Can Dance, A Chance to Dance). The documentary was produced for Ovation by Magic Pictures International and Warp Factor 2.

"BATTLE OF THE NUTCRACKERS" programming event begins the afternoon of Sunday, November 25th. This year's event will feature the U.S. cable premiere of San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker (2008), starring Elizabeth Powell, in a rendition of the ballet which has traditionally been performed in San Francisco since 1944. The premiere will air the afternoon of Sunday, December 9th. The Nutcracker: Mariinsky 2012 will have its World Premiere on the afternoon of Sunday, December 16th and is an updated Nutcracker from the historic theatre in Saint Petersburg where the ballet first premiered in 1892.

Following today's November 25th premiere, Ovation will feature a different production of the beloved Nutcracker ballet each Sunday afternoon through December. Viewers will be invited to vote for their favorite rendition at Facebook.com/OvationTV starting on November 15th. The Viewers' Choice will be revealed on Christmas Eve, December 24th at 8:00pmET. A marathon of all the productions will air all day on Christmas Day, December 25th.

Additional performances featured in this year's "BATTLE OF THE NUTCRACKERS" include: The Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker (2009, Available in High Definition), Bolshoi Ballet's The Nutcracker, Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! and Nutcracker: The Story of Clara.