WELCOME

I am so excited to present this classic ballet with the students of BlackBox Studios! It is truly a rite of passage to start participating in The Nutcracker performances. I danced in my first The Nutcracker in 2001, and have only missed one year since-due to an injury. I was even lucky enough to do a quarantined film version of Nutcracker during the pandemic. This year I am looking forward to doing my 23rd year of performing in the The Nutcracker, as well as also continuing to pass along my knowledge and love for this ballet with the students of BlackBox Studios.

THE HISTORY

The Nutcracker is a ballet based off of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 short story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The story was adapted into a two-act ballet by choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Pyotri Ilyich Tchaikovsky and premiered in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Since The Nutcracker debuted in 1892 it has been an incredibly popular ballet that has been adapted by many choreographers. Most productions follow the general story, but there are numerous versions performed around the world. The first premiere outside of Russia was in England in 1934, and the San Francisco Ballet, under the Artistic Direction of William Christensen, was the first company in the United State of America to perform The Nutcracker in 1944. The New York City Ballet first performed George Balanchine’s Nutcracker in 1954. It was Balanchine’s New York City Ballet version of The Nutcracker launched the ballet into mainstream popularity in the United States.

THE STORY of The Nutcracker

The story is of a young girl named Clara who receives the gift of a Nutcracker doll from her uncle Herr Drosselmeyer at her family’s annual Christmas party. Later that night, too excited to go to sleep, she goes downstairs to continue to play with her Nutcracker doll. The ballet blurs the lines between reality and a dream as she encounters Herr Drosselmeyer who transforms the house. The family Christmas tree grows beyond the ceiling, and all the toys come to life, and her Nutcracker doll grows to be life size. The Nutcracker doll and the Mouse King battle alongside giant mice and an army of toys. With the help of Clara- who iconically throws her shoe at the Rat King, wounding and distracting him, the Nutcracker ultimately wins the battle and is transformed into a human Prince. Clara and her Nutcracker Prince travel through the land of Snow where they are greeted by the Snow Queen and her kingdom of snowflakes. Clara and the Prince then arrive at the Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy. They are entertained by the Sugar Plum Fairy and the inhabitants of Candy Land: Chocolate, Tea, Coffee, Candy Canes, Mother Ginger, The Dew Drop Fairy and her Flowers and more. Clara slowly drifts back to consciousness and finds that she is back home. Her Nutcracker Prince has returned to his doll like form, and everything in the house is back to normal, and that the experience had all been just a beautiful and magical dream.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE TODAY

Today you will see a shortened 35 minute version of the ballet. The choreography is a mix of my own geared toward the strengths of the students, and also includes choreography from Lois Ellyn’s The Nutcracker. This shortened version of the ballet starts with Clara’s Christmas party where she dances with her sister Louise, and her friends. Frau Drosselmeyer arrives at the party bringing magic tricks, life size mechanical dolls, and of course the Nutcracker for Clara. At the end of the party Clara says goodbye to her friends, and drifts off to sleep while playing with her Nutcracker doll. Frau Drosselmeyer transforms the house, and Clara is then awoken by the Snow Queen who invites her to travel with her through the Kingdom of Snow to arrive at the Land of Sweets. Clara meets the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the other inhabitants of the Land of Sweets. Clara’s dream comes to an end as the the dancers drift off and she is awoken by her sister Louise.