The Royal Ballet has changed the 'harem scene' in The Nutcracker for the Christmas show to 'make an inclusive environment for performers and audiences'.
The scene was re-imagined as a duet, instead of the usual three females and one male, over fears it was 'offensive' amid an overhaul of a production first staged 1972.
The change comes after Scottish Ballet bosses decided earlier this month to remove 'elements of caricature' from Arabian and Chinese sequences after a review found the scenes some scenes 'proliferated racial stereotypes'.
Changes to the Sir Peter Wright’s Royal Ballet production were written by senior ballet master and principal character artist Gary Avis, The Telegraph reported.
Tuesday night's performance of The Nutcracker, the production's first, saw only Melissa Hamilton and Lukas B Brændsrød perform the Arabian Dance.
The Royal Ballet has changed the 'harem scene' in The Nutcracker (pictured) for this year's Christmas show to 'make an inclusive environment for performers and audiences'
Tuesday night's performance of The Nutcracker, the production's first, saw only two dancers perform the Arabian Dance after it was changed over fears it was 'offensive'
A Royal Ballet spokesman said: 'The Royal Ballet regularly looks at the classic repertory to ensure these works remain fresh and as inclusive as possible to a broad audience.
'The Nutcracker is one of the most well-known ballets and is the perfect introduction for new audiences into this artform.
'Kevin O'Hare, director of The Royal Ballet, is keen to ensure that the production elements are appropriate within the context of classical ballet.
'In an ongoing process of discussion with company members and visiting guests, The Royal Ballet strives each season to make an inclusive environment for its performers and audiences.'
Earlier in November, the dance company announced changes to characters, costumes and choreography would be made to scenes in The Land of the Sweets in The Nutcracker, which will feature a cast of 40 children.
Act two of the ballet represents different nationalities through the 'dances of the sweets', including Spanish 'Chocolate', Arabian 'Coffee' and Chinese 'Tea'.
Drosselmeyer, the enigmatic toymaker and magician character in the 19th-century ballet, will be played by both male and female performers for the first time in the company's history.
An official announcement earlier this month said: 'The Nutcracker is a timeless festive story that has delighted audiences around the world for over a century.
'To ensure it remains relevant today and for the future, we continue to make subtle, but important
