BALLET / 2018-2019
THE NUTCRACKER
TEACHER GUIDE
Ballet West
Adam Sklute, Artistic Director Willam Christensen, Choreographer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer
Student Guide: The Nutcracker
Caption: The holiday party is a joyous celebration of family, friends, merriment, and toys for all the children. Credit: Artists of Ballet West. Photo by Luke Isley.
Parents and Teachers: We’ve Got You Covered
The first performance of The Nutcracker took place in Russia in 1892. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (pronounced chy-KOFF-skee) adapted the ballet from a story called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann. Marius Petipa (PEH-tee-PAH) and his assistant Lev Ivanov created the choreography. Surprisingly, the first performance of the ballet was not deemed a success, and 25 years passed before anyone outside of Russia performed it.
A complete version of the work was not performed in the United States until 1944 when The Nutcracker was produced by the San Francisco Ballet with choreography by Willam Christensen. (Christensen later became Ballet West’s Founding Artistic Director.) In fact, it was the San Francisco Ballet that began the tradition of presenting the work on an annual basis, and does so to this day. The themes of gift giving, family gatherings, and dancing snowflakes were a natural connection to the holiday season.
While The Nutcracker may have been born in Russia, it has certainly adapted to its American home. Not only has it become an annual holiday tradition, but the ballet, in all of its variations, has come to reflect the character of our country—a mix of many ethnicities and ideologies.
There are many versions of the ballet, including one by New York City Ballet founder and choreographer George Balanchine. This version was created in 1954 and televised shortly after. A film version was made in 1993. This ballet is performed by the New York City Ballet every season and is perhaps the most recognized.
Other choreographers have altered the original ballet to reflect changing cultural concerns or interests. Mark Morris created The Hard Nut in 1991, setting the ballet in 1960s suburbia. His version challenged traditional male and female roles, and features both men and women in tutus and pointe shoes.
African American choreographers have reshaped the popular ballet in a way that better reflects their ethnic experience. Donald Byrd’s 1995 version called the Harlem Nutcracker combines jazz music and gospel with Tchaikovsky’s score, and adds Hip Hop, salsa, and jazz dance to the ballet’s choreography.
For more on the history of The Nutcracker check out:
Moscow Ballet's History of The Nutcracker http://nutcracker.com/about-us/history-of-nutcracker
How The Nutcracker Colonized American Ballet http://time.com/3640792/nutcracker-american-history/
No Sugar Plums Here: The Dark, Romantic Roots of The Nutcracker https://www.npr.org/2012/12/25/167732828/no-sugar-plums-here-the-dark-romantic-roots-of-the-nutcracker
For more information about different versions of The Nutcracker, visit:
Explore Four Different Versions of the Ballet https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/students/features/understanding-art/cracking-open-the-nutcracker
Finding the Right ‘Nutcracker’ for You and Yours https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/arts/dance/finding-the-right-nutcracker-for-you-and-yours.html
Elle magazine, Inside 3 Very Different Versions of 'The Nutcracker' https://www.elle.com/culture/g8814/behind-the-scenes-of-the-nutcracker-clara/
Additional Photos
Caption: Principal Artists Beckanne Sisk and Chase O'Connell in Ballet West's The Nutcracker. Credit: Photo by Luke Isley.
Credit: Photo by Luke Isley.
Credit: Artists of Ballet West. Photo by Beau Pearson.
Standards Connections
English Language Arts – Reading: Literature (RL.3, RL.9)
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Writer: Mary Callahan
Content Editor: Lisa Resnick
Logistics Coordination: Katherine Huseman
Producer and Program Manager: Tiffany A. Bryant
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Support for Ballet at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by Elizabeth and C. Michael Kojaian.
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
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