I recently wrote an article for the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor entitled “Cracking the Nutcracker.” I wrote about where this famous ballet originated and how it has become the most popular and most performed ballet in the world.
Here are a few facts I discovered and will share with my readers here.
1. The Nutcracker Ballet was based on a short story entitled “The Nutcracker & the Mouse King” by German author ETA Hoffman.
2. On the heels of their popular ballet Sleeping Beauty, Russian choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Peter Tchaikovsky adapted Hoffman’s story into a ballet called “The Nutcracker.”
3. “The Nutcracker” was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1892, and despite being loved by Czar Alexander III, the ballet was panned by critics and audiences.
4. The ballet was first performed in the United States in 1944, by the San Fransisco Opera Ballet.
5. It wasn’t until choreographer George Balanchine tweaked the original story that the ballet became a hit. He introduced his version in 1954, performed by the New York City Ballet, and it was a smash hit. The rest, as they say is history. If you’ve seen “The Nutcracker” it was likely Balachine’s version.
If you’d like to see “The Nutcracker” this Christmas, it’s not too late. Although many productions have already occurred here a few you can still catch on stage.
In the Denver area:
The Nutcracker at Ellie Caulkins Opera House, www.Operacolorado.org
The Nutcracker at Ballet Ariel, www.Balletariel.org
Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker at the Paramount, www.ParamountDenver.com
Littleton Dance Academy presents The Nutcracker, www.Littletondanceacademy.org
Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s The Nutcracker, www.Bncdance.com
David Taylor’s Dance Theater’s The Nutcracker, www.Dtdt.org
In the Northern Colorado area:
The Nutty Nutcracker presented by Airborne Dance in Longmont, www.Airbornegym.com
The Canyon Concert Ballet presents The Nutcracker in Fort Collins, www.Ccballet.org
Colorado Dance Theater presents The Nutcracker in Greeley, www.coloradodancetheatre.org‘