THE NUTCRACKER

The Joffrey BalletAshley C. Wheater, Artistic Director

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What Is It About The Nutcracker?After the working rehearsal,discuss why you think thisballet has appealed to dance

companies and audiences for morethan a century.

Where Did The NutcrackerCome FromBallet first emerged in Italy during theRenaissance era of the 15th century,when artistic curiosity and creativityflourished. However, the ballet we knowtoday evolved from lavish court dancesduring the reign of Louis XIV, whoruled France from 1643 to 1715. Andmore than a century later in Russia,Marius Petipa (PEH-tee-PAH), artisticdirector of the Imperial Russian Ballet,choreographer Lev Ivanov, andcomposer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky(chy-KOFF-skee) created three of thegreat ballets of the Romantic period:Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, andThe Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker presents a world ofchildhood wonder where magic blurs theline between reality and fantasy. The balletis based on the storyThe Nutcracker andthe King of Mice, by German writer E.T.A.Hoffmann.Marius Petipa conceived andplanned a ballet based on a French versionof Hoffmann’s tale written by AlexanderDumas. Petipa fell ill and was unable tochoreograph the ballet. His assistant, LevIvanov, completed the choreography andthe ballet premiered in 1892. Since then,numerous ballet companies all over theworld have performed it. Choreographershave set it in different time periods,locales, and cultures, and it has remainedoneof themost popular ballets of all time.

The Joffrey Ballet and Robert Joffrey

W hen Robert Joffrey founded The Joffrey Ballet in 1956,he was 25 years old. At that time, most ballet companieswere touring with shortened versions of foreign ballet

classics. Joffrey wanted to create an American ballet company thatperformed works by American choreographers. Over the years, thecompany grew in popularity. The Nutcracker was the last balletJoffrey choreographed for the company before he died in 1988.

Getting Ready to SeeThe

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Clara is delighted with her new present, a nutcracker.

COVER: THE JOFFREY BALLET’S CHRISTINE ROCAS AND RORY HOHENSTEIN IN THE NUTCRACKER. PHOTO BY HERBERT MIGDOLL

Joffrey BalletThe Story

The Nutcracker is about the magicof childhood and Christmas.The story begins at a Christmas

party held by the Stahlbaums and theirtwo children, Clara and Fritz.

The ProloguePeople are bustling on the street,preparing for the holidays.Drosselmeyer (DROS-sel-MY-er),a dollmaker and magician, buys aNutcracker on his way to the party.

Act IGuests arrive at the Stahlbaums andexchange gifts. The children playgames and dance together, and theadults perform a courtly dance.Drosselmeyer enters and performsmagic tricks, captivating the children.

Drosselmeyer gives Clara theNutcracker as a present. Fritz stealsthe toy from Clara and breaks it.Drosselmeyer helps Clara mend the toybefore the children are sent off to bed.

Clara can’t sleep and returns lookingfor her Nutcracker. Her living roomsuddenly turns into a battlefield.Clara is surrounded by mice. Luckily,Drosselmeyer comes to her aid. He castsa spell making the Christmas tree growand the toys come to life. Clara’sNutcracker leads the toy soldiers in abattle against the mice. Clara helps theNutcracker by removing her shoe andhitting the Mouse King on the head.Clara’s act of devotion transforms theNutcracker into a handsome prince.He invites her to go with him to theKingdom of Sweets.

Think Like AChoreographer

Listen toTchaikovsky’sfolk dance

music in Act II.Imagine the dancemovements. Watchhow the choreographyreflects each countryand its music.

The Sugar Plum Fairy enters ridinga horse led by her Cavalier. The SugarPlum Fairy and her Cavalier dance apas de deux (PAH-d’-DUEH), or a shortdance for two. The act closes with the“Waltz of the Snowflakes.”

Act IIDrosselmeyer, Clara, and the Nutcrackerprince are welcomed to the enchantedkingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy.A victory celebration begins. Spanish,Russian, Chinese, and Arabian folkdances are performed, ending with aGrand Pas de Deux by the Sugar PlumFairy and her Cavalier. Clara returns toher home and family full of wonder.

The other children are envious when Drosselmeyer gives Clara the nutcracker as a present.

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“I wanted a company out of myown roots, out of America.”

–Robert Joffrey

What’s Your Take?How would you restageThe Nutcracker? Pick a timeperiod and location for the

story to take place. How would thatchange the movement and thecostumes? Describe your version tothe class, including drawings of whatyour set and costumes would look like.

Joffrey’s Take onThe Nutcracker Tradition

R obert Joffrey’s The Nutcrackerpremiered in 1987. It wasproduced in the spirit of the

original ballet by Marius Petipa, butJoffrey wanted his version to have anAmerican feel. Before Joffrey’s version,productions of The Nutcracker werepresented using European themesand traditions. In contrast, Joffrey’sversion is set in 1850s America. Joffreyworked on his production of TheNutcracker for 15 years, all the whilecollecting Victorian cards, prints,illustrations, and toys that would formthe basis for his sets and costumes.

Traditionally, Romantic ballets hadtaken their audiences to varioussettings and time periods by creatingan elaborate visual spectacle. One wayJoffrey added to The Nutcracker’sspectacle was by incorporatingChristmas tree angels into theproduction. Joffrey’s research ofVictorian tin toys also inspired the

Many Romantic-eraballets employ adivertissement(dee-vehr-tees-MAHN),or collection ofdances, toward theend of a ballet toentertain the audiencerather than advancethe plot.

sleek, glow in the dark mice costumes.Another change Joffrey made was to“bring alive” a bouquet of flowersfrom the first act during the “Waltz ofthe Flowers” in the second act.

One of the most significantdifferences is in Joffrey’s Drosselmeyer.Some productions have portrayedDrosselmeyer as a frightening old manwho leads Clara into a threateningdream world. However, Joffrey choseto represent him as an intelligent,charming character that makes Clara’sfantasy come true. Most importantly,Joffrey’s The Nutcracker highlightsinnocence, wonder, and family ties.

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David M. RubensteinChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

Additional support for Performancesfor Young Audiences is provided byAdobe Foundation, The ClarkCharitable Foundation; Mr. James V.Kimsey; The Macy’s Foundation;The Morris and Gwendolyn CafritzFoundation; Park Foundation, Inc.;Paul M. Angell Family Foundation;an endowment from the Ryna andMelvin Cohen Family Foundation;U.S. Department of Education; andby generous contributors to the AbeFortas Memorial Fund and bya major gift to the fund from thelate Carolyn E. Agger, widow ofAbe Fortas

The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Seasonis presented with the support ofElizabeth and Michael Kojaian.

Major support for educationalprograms at the Kennedy Centeris provided byDavid and Alice Rubensteinthrough theRubenstein Arts Access Program.

Education and related artisticprograms are made possiblethrough the generosity of theNational Committee for thePerforming Arts and the President’sAdvisory Committee on the Arts.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

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