Clara and her family are celebrating Christmas by having a party at their home. Friends and guests arrive and they begin to dance. A mysterious guest shows up at the party, but Clara recognizes him as her godfather, Drosselmeyer. Drosselmeyer is a toymaker and brings presents for all the children at the party. He gives Clara the best gift of all: a beautiful nutcracker! It isn't long before Clara's brother, Fritz, grabs and the Nutcracker, plays with it and eventually breaks it. Clara is upset, but Drosselmeyer takes a handkerchief and ties it around the Nutcracker's head to fix it. They gently place the Nutcracker on a little bed under the Christmas tree.As the night goes on, the children begin to get tired, and it's time to sleep. Clara decides to check on her Nutcracker doll one more time before going to bed. She falls asleep under the Christmas tree with the Nutcracker in her arms.
She wakes up and everything is growing around her! The house, the Christmas tree, and the furniture are enormous! Suddenly, an army of mice dressed in uniform march out lead by The Mouse King. Clara's Nutcracker doll leads an army of toy soldiers against the mice and they battle each other. Just when the Nutcracker is about to lose to the mouse king, Clara takes her shoe and throws it at the king's head, knocking him unconscious.
The grateful Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince. The little bed has transformed into a magical sleigh. The prince and Clara get in the sleigh and they drive though a wintery forest to the Land of Sweets.Clara and the prince are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and are honored for their bravery against the wicked mice by a huge celebration and feast. They enjoy the dancing of the Spanish chocolates, the Arabian coffee, the Chinese tea dancers, and the Russian dolls who perform the trepak. Mother Ginger, the gingerbread house, appears and reveal little dancing gingerbread men from under her skirt. They are followed by the Waltz of the Flowers and the evening of festivities finish with a dance performed by the Sugar Plum Fairy and a Cavalier.
Everyone bids Clara and the Nutcracker Prince farewell as they travel home.
Clara wakes up the next morning with the Nutcracker doll still in her arms.
The original story of The Nutcracker is based on German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Nussknacker und Mausekönig), which was written in 1819. The story starts with the familiar plot of Marie and her family on Christmas Eve as they celebrate by holding a big party. Drosselmeyer gives Marie a nutcracker doll. Later that night, a battle ensues between the toys and mice. Marie tries to tell her parents about what happened the next morning, but they don't believe her. The story continues with an explanation of how nutcrackers came to be, the fight between the Mouse King and Queen and Drosselmeyer's nephew, who is cursed to look like a nutcracker until someone can love and accept him for the way he is.The story ends with Marie breaking the curse and marrying Drosselmeyer's nephew who is actually a king.In 1844, author Alexander Dumas took Hoffmann's version and created an adaptation. This is closer to what we see in the ballet version.
The ballet itself has its own history of failure and success.
After the huge success of The Sleeping Beauty, composer Peter Tchaikovsky and choreographer Maruis Petipa were commissioned to do The Nutcracker by the Imperial Marrinsky Theatre. The first premiere of the ballet was a failure. The ballet was criticized for nearly everything, from not being true to Hoffmann's story, the confusing battle scene, the length of the ballet and also the inadequacy of the dancers. Tchaikovsky's music, however, was praised.Alexander Gorsky staged his own production that eliminated the Sugar Plum Fairy and cast all adults for the children's roles. It tried to address many of the criticisms that the first production received.
It was choreographer George Balanchine who first produced The Nutcracker for the New York City Ballet, and since the 1960s, it has been a regular Christmas tradition for ballet companies all over the world.
I LOVE this ballet. I honestly get teary-eyed when I watch the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier perform their pas de deux. The music is just so incredibly moving and beautiful. I can't help but shiver a little whenever I watch. Whenever I see it, I just try to breathe it all in.If you have never seen a production of The Nutcracker, I highly recommend that you search for a performance here in D.C. and really experience it for yourself.
Miss Tess
tessc@balletpetite.com
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