It is the start of the Christmas season yet again and ballet companies are also beginning to perform their yearly winter performances of The Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker is a story based on the fantasy The Nutcracker and the Mouse King written by German writer, composer, and painter by the name of E.T.A. Hoffmann.
His story was about a girl who becomes friends with a nutcracker that she was gifted with for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the nutcracker came to life and began to battle with the evil Mouse King.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer, was inspired by this story and decided to make a ballet from it.
The first performance unfortunately failed, with Tchaikovsky himself calling the performance boring. Even though he died soon after, The Nutcracker became so popular and is now one of the most frequently performed ballets!
Companies began to present The Nutcracker during Christmas times because the first act is set at a Christmas party.
In the final ballet piece of The Nutcracker, the show consists of two acts. The first act begins with the Party Scene, where a Christmas party is being held, and everyone is exchanging gifts. The main character, Clara, receives a nutcracker doll.
The Transformation scene begins next. This is where the nutcracker comes to life and becomes a nutcracker prince.
The Battle Scene follows, where the Nutcracker battles the Mouse King. Of course, the Nutcracker wins, but not without the help of Clara. She hands the Nutcracker with a slipper that the Nutcracker uses to slay the Mouse King. Many companies choose to use a pointe shoe for this scene, as it is a ballet show.
To conclude the first act, the Nutcracker brings Clara through a magical winter forest to thank her for her help. There, she meets the snow king and queen.
Their journey continues in the second act, where they enter the land of sweets.
This act can be more subjective to different ballet companies. But generally, there is a Spanish dance as chocolate from Spain, a Chinese dance as tea from China, Russian dance as tea cakes from Russia, Candycanes, Marzipan, and bonbons. Each of these sweets get their own performance, usually performed as a duet, or in ballet terms: a pas de deux.
After these sweet performances, the Waltz of the Flowers and dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy comes last.
There is a finale where all the characters from Act two come out and bow to the audience. Then, the show is over!
Most ballet companies all over the world have made this a tradition to dance and perform The Nutcracker every Christmas season. It also gives people who are interested in ballet to have something to look forward to each year.
If you have taken interest in this wonderful story, Inland Pacific Ballet Academy located in Montclair is putting up many Nutcracker shows throughout December, ranging in locations from Claremont and Riverside!
Tickets are available on their website.
The Nutcracker, not just for dancers, but for everyone, is such a nostalgic story and one that certainly never gets old. Additionally, I love the concept of telling a story with your movement, instead of words. It can really provide a different perspective of the story. Go watch a performance of The Nutcracker if you haven’t had a chance yet!