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Ballet West: The Nutcracker

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THE NUTCRACKER
Choreographer: Willam Christensen

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This year marks the 80th anniversary of America’s first Nutcracker, choreographed by Willam Christensen for San Francisco Ballet in 1944 during World War II. Ballet West has been performing this production since 1963 and has since undergone four versions of set and costumes, the most recent designed in 2017 in honor of its 75th anniversary.

“What it then became was a wonderful phenomenon around the globe, first in America, and later on the world.

When The Nutcracker premiered in Europe in 1892, many critics did not like that so many roles were danced by children, that the ballet was so short (two hours), and that the story was light and gentle. It fell into obscurity for decades,” Adam Sklute, Artistic Director of Ballet West, said. “But those very things that were not popular from the original production were the very things that made the work a success when Mr. C produced it.

“The Nutcracker has become synonymous with the holiday tradition and that’s all because of Christensen, who created this success that has become a major revenue stream for ballet companies around the world.”