Dance Local: A Case for a Homegrown NUTCRACKER

The Joffrey Ballet recently made waves by announcing their commission of a brand-new, Chicago-inspired production of The Nutcracker. Choreographed by the buzzy Christopher Wheeldon, this new work will celebrate The Joffrey's hometown of Chicago by setting the story at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. While many were excited by the prospect of a new work from this prominent choreographer, others questioned the move. The Joffrey already has a Nutcracker, so what isn't broken? A new homegrown Nutcracker allows The Joffrey to distinguish its production from the heap of other holiday entertainment options, gives a patron a new reason to return to a familiar story, and appeals to hometown pride.

The Nutcracker is frequently a child's entry point to ballet, both as an audience member and as a performer. This phenomenon can lead to an emotional war inside even the most fervent balletomane between nostalgia and fatigue. Even worse, for many members of the general public, they are introduced to ballet through a children's pageantesque production. These experiences can turn potential ticket buyers away from a more professional performance. Most importantly, the holiday patron is overloaded with entertainment options. Between The Christmas Carol, the sing-a-long Handel's Messiah, a holiday movie marathon, and an ugly sweater party, can ballet companies count on the public to choose The Nutcracker? A homegrown production distinguishes itself and cuts through the general holiday din, while still appealing to Christmas nostalgia. It is new, different and worth seeing-it's not your mother's Nutcracker.

Some will inevitably ask, why change a timeless ballet? This is an interesting query, as The Nutcracker has not always been considered a classic. Based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker premiered in 1892 at The Mariinsky Theatre to universally terrible reviews. The ballet was introduced to many western audiences by The Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo in a one-act Nutcracker Suite (restaged excerpts from the original production) on their 1940 tour. By 1944, The San Francisco Ballet premiered the first American production of The Nutcracker. George Balanchine's iconic production premiered in 1954, inspired by the choreographer's Russian childhood. Throughout its history, The Nutcracker has always been a work that has been tweaked, restaged, and reinvented.

Christopher Wheeldon and The Joffrey are not the first to rethink The Nutcracker. In 2004, The San Francisco Ballet introduced a new The Nutcracker set at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and The Washington Ballet introduced their new production set in nineteenth-century Georgetown. While San Francisco Ballet uses the traditional story, it injects local flavor throughout its production, including the "painted ladies" (San Francisco's famous Victorian townhouses) sets and the "Garden in the Pavilion of Dreams," inspired by The Conservatory of Flowers located in Golden Gate Park. The Washington Ballet set their Nutcracker in 1882 Georgetown, a transformative time for Washington DC when the city became in international capital with an active social life. While the party scene is set in a Georgetown mansion, Clara's dream, after she falls asleep in Act One, takes her throughout American history. This Nutcracker pays homage to the unique political environment of its hometown through tiny nods such as a cameo by Frederic Douglas as a party guest in Act One, to larger departures like the trepak danced by frontiersman in Act II.

A homegrown production can be a financial boon to a ballet company. Septime Webre, Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet, and the choreographer of their current Nutcracker, reported that his production was an immediate hit and has continued to resonate with DC audiences. He elaborated that the most powerful art "reflects the people watching it." While DC is not a city of artists, Webre explained that it is filled with extremely well-educated people who like to connect dots internally and think about complex ideas. By considering his local patrons, Webre dramatically improved The Washington Ballet's holiday ticket sales. In 2003, before the new production's debut, The Nutcracker grossed $750K. Webre's production made $1.1 million in its first year. Last season, sales grew to $2.2 million.

The Joffrey Ballet, The San Francisco Ballet, and The Washington Ballet have all chosen to set their homegrown Nutcrackers at defining moments for their respective hometowns. This artistic decision specifically appeals to hometown pride of ticket buyers, providing them with an extra incentive to purchase tickets during the holiday season. Local inspiration has proven to be a winning formula for both ballet companies and audiences. Perhaps other ballet companies should consider tweaking tradition by trying something new and homegrown next December.

Photo by Media4artists|Theo Kossenas