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New Interpretation Gives This Year’s Nutcracker a Unique Feel
By Emily Klopfer - Dimond High School

Jason Hodges, the Executive Director of the Anchorage Concert Association, welcomed the Nutcracker Ballet on its first performance by declaring that it was a new show with a new ballet. This soon became a very true statement.

While the Eugene Ballet Company’s performance of the Nutcracker Ballet (based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”) contained some of the timeless memories of the traditional Nutcracker, it also provided its own interpretation that was decidedly different in parts.

The first noticeable difference was the very beginning of the play. Most performances of the Nutcracker begin with the main character, Clara, looking through the keyhole of a door with her brother, Fritz. The pair is attempting to catch a glimpse of their parents adorning the house with Christmas decorations. When the children are finally allowed in the room, a small tree begins to grow until it stretches from the stage to the ceiling, causing audiences to gasp at its ornamented boughs.

This interpretation of the Nutcracker, however, began with Drosselmeyer and his assistant creating the nutcracker itself. When the duo begin walking in front of a painted curtain city-scape, Drosselmeyer pauses, works a bit of magic, and suddenly the audience is plunged into the party that is taking place in Clara’s home. The children and adults danced in elegant dresses and suits, beautifully portraying the clothing of the time period. In this scene, the second difference to this particular Nutcracker Ballet could be seen. The set was different from what it had been in the past. All of the set, including props, looked somewhat like painted cardboard. Not to be taken the wrong way, the painting was well done and showed perspective, but it was also angular and lacked the homey feeling of the traditional set that had contained realistic seeming walls and actual furniture.

The wind-up dancers in the party scene were more comical than they had been in the past by not wanting to go back into the boxes from which they came. This added a nice dose of comedy in the midst of the family favorite.

Another aspect of the show that was different from previous performances was the scene in which the nutcracker and the toy soldiers battle the mice during Clara’s dream. In this show, the entire scene had a much scarier and more intense feel than previous performances. Props from the previous party scene were turned around for the battle scene, revealing giant mouse heads, fire, and creepy blinking eyes. A strobe light was added to intensify the battle scene, along with a black light that accentuated the red eyes of the mice. A well-choreographed battle ensued, including a pirate ship that was a new element to the Nutcracker Ballet. A cannon was brought out onstage to aid the side of the nutcracker and his soldiers. Due to the lack of a “boom,” it seems as if the cannon had some technical difficulties during the performance. The battle ended with Clara saving the day and saving the nutcracker from the evil mouse king. Act one ended with Clara and the nutcracker sailing away upon a hot air balloon and waving goodbye to the dancers below.

The premise of Act two, is that dancers from around the world are putting on a show for Clara and the nutcracker. Every dancer in this section was superb, however the Russian dancers received the most applause with their more acrobatic dance moves. The music in this section was the memorable music that always prepares people and puts them in the right mood for the holidays.

This first of performance of the Nutcracker Ballet’s six show stint in Anchorage went flawlessly, besides the technical difficulty of the cannon in the first act. The dedication, preparation, and practice was definitely apparent in the talent of the ballet dancers. This show’s differences gave it a unique interpretation that still left the audience wanting more. This family favorite was performed by ballet dancers from the Eugene Ballet Company and local dancers from the Alaska Dance Theatre. The exceptional music was provided by the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra.



The Nutcracker Ballet
Anchorage Concert Association
11/27/2009 at 2:00 pm
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Atwood Concert Hall