The Nutcracker Ballet is based loosely on the original work, a short fiction novel written by Ernst Theodor Amadeus (E.T.A.)  Hoffmann. The German author's famous work, Nußknacker und Mausekönig (Nutcracker and Mouse King)  was written in 1816. Later in 1844 Alexandre Dumas retells the Hoffmann tale with a nearly identical in plot while changing Marie's name to Clara. This version was the basis for the Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet. 

california nutcracker

This is a time honored tradition that nearly every person who trains in ballet school will enjoy participating in at least once during their dance training.

In addition to key roles requiring years of expert skill, The Nutcracker is the one ballet that fills the stage with extras of all dance levels, providing the perfect ballet to produce. Perhaps that is why this ballet is the must for each ballet school, and especially those with young students who look forward to assuming the larger roles later in their careers.

In California there are well over 100 Nutcracker Ballet productions annually. Many are small stage productions, but the trend in these events is to invite guest dance artists with star power to perform key roles. Sometimes this is necessary as the ballet schools lack qualified candidates, but often the star power creates additional draw to the festive ballet, garnering ticket prices that range from $10 - 150 per person. The average admission to a California Nutcracker Ballet is around $25-35.

Story: This ballet begins with German siblings Clara and Fritz Stahlbaum attending the annual family Christmas party on Christmas Eve. The festive party with music and dance is anchored by a beautiful Christmas Tree.  Godfather Drosselmeyer, a skilled clock and toy maker arrives, full of surprises, as usual. He draws everyone's attention as he presents two life-size dolls. Each doll takes its turn in a dance.

During the gifts session of the party, the children open their presents and Drosselmeyer gives Clara a beautiful Nutcracker. Fritz is jealous and grabs the nutcracker from Clara, breaking it. Heartbroken, Clara looks on as Drosselmeyer quickly repairs the Nutcracker with a handkerchief he magically draws from the air. The guests eventually leave for the night and the family goes to bed. But Clara is worried about her Nutcracker, and sneaks back to the tree to check on him, falling asleep with him in her arms.

Nutcracker Prince and other objects come to life in the dream. The valiant prince engages in a fierce battle pitting the Nutcracker against a Mouse King with seven heads. This dance is one of the highlights to the show and usually includes the signature mouse wearing white leotards, a red jacket, and holding a shiny sword.

Marius Petipa is credited with choreographing the story into a ballet based on a revision by French author Alexander Dumas.

As the clock strikes midnight strange things happen. Clara begins shrinking as her beautiful Christmas tree grows high above her. The toys around the tree come to life while the room fills with an army of mice, lead by the fierce Mouse King. The Nutcracker awakens, leading his army of toy soldiers into battle with the mice. The Mouse King corners the Nutcracker and battles him one-on-one. The Nutcracker is no match for the Mouse King and is captured along with his soldiers. Clara makes a final daring charge, throwing her slipper at the Mouse King, hitting him square on the head. The Mouse King drops to the floor and the mice run away, carrying their leader's lifeless body.

Then the Nutcracker turns into a Prince and takes Clara on a journey to the Land of Snow, an enchanted forest wonderland where they are welcomed by dancing snowflakes. Next the Prince escorts Clara to the Land of Sweets where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Prince tells her about their daring battle with the army of mice and she rewards them with a celebration of dances: The Spanish Dance; The Arabian Dance; The Russian Dance; The Chinese Dance; The Mirliton Dance; The Waltz of Flowers. The final dance is a Pas De Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier. Then Clara awakens from her dream and finds herself by her Christmas tree with her beloved Nutcracker.

The fantasy fairy tale is a Christmas story in which the toys and dolls comes to life during a dream that seems far too real to Marie (Clara) Stahlbaum. She awakes with the solemn promise that if it were not a dream, she'd love the fierce Nutcracker in her dream no matter what he looked like.  And that's exactly what she does when a surprise guest arrives as the Stahlbaum home and proposes to the young maiden, telling her she broke a curse and made the young man handsome once again by swearing she would love him if he were real.

The Nutcracker Ballet is set to a beautifully orchestrated symphony by Tchaikovsky in 1892, and set to the choreography created by Russian dancers in an adapted musical version with a girl named Clara, not Marie.  The Nutcracker story is over 200 years old! And yet it grows more popular with each passing year and Christmas season. What a classic!

The Nutcracker Ballet, based on E.T.A. Hoffman's "The Nutcracker and the King of Mice" is a time honored tradition that nearly every person who trains in ballet school will enjoy participating in at least once during their dance training. In addition to key roles requiring years of expert skill, The Nutcracker is the one ballet that fills the stage with extras of all dance levels, providing the perfect ballet to produce. Perhaps that is why this ballet is the must for each ballet school, and especially those with young students who look forward to assuming the larger roles later in their careers.

In California there are well over 100 Nutcracker Ballet productions annually. Many are small stage productions, but the trend in these events is to invite guest dance artists with star power to perform key roles. Sometimes this is necessary as the ballet schools lack qualified candidates, but often the star power creates additional draw to the festive ballet, garnering ticket prices that range from $10 - 150 per person. Admission to a California Nutcracker Ballet ranges from $15 to $500 and while 40% of many dance company's operating expenses are reported to come from production of this ballet, it is a challenging one to finance and produce due to cost of costumes, qualified dancers, stage sets and even live orchestration at some events.