From new characters to a live DJ, 4 ways to see 'The Nutcracker' in OKC this holiday season
- "The Nutcracker" ballet, with its iconic music and whimsical story, has become a beloved holiday tradition for families across the United States.
Even people who have never seen "The Nutcracker" ballet often are familiar with the sounds of the treasured yuletide title, from the "March of the Toy Soldiers" to the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."
"On the radio, you hear 'Nutcracker' music everywhere you go. You definitely recognize that when you go to the theater, because that is Christmas music, even if you don't know it as 'The Nutcracker,'" said Savannah Lee, co-owner of Oklahoma Dance Center .
For six decades, the whimsical fairytale story, captivating choreography and, yes, Pyotr Tchaikovsky's now-legendary score have made "The Nutcracker" a holiday favorite for ballet companies across the United States.
"Your grandma and your grandpa, maybe they saw this ballet when they were younger, because this is a generational performance. So, you can have some type of connection with different people in your family," said Lee, who is also secretary of the Oklahoma Youth Arts Foundation , a nonprofit organization involved in presenting the fledgling "Edmond's Nutcracker."
"When we do our outreach events and we have someone come up to our booth ... they often talk about, 'Oh, I have a collection of nutcrackers,' or 'I used to see "The Nutcracker" when I was a young kid.' Or, 'I have a grandchild who is in "The Nutcracker."' I just think this ballet brings a lot of people together."
Even with Norman Ballet Company taking a hiatus this year from performing its "The Oklahoma Nutcracker" — with plans to bring back its uniquely Sooner State version in 2025 — it's a testament to the ongoing popularity of the Christmas classic that at least four different productions of "The Nutcracker" can be found in central Oklahoma this holiday season.
How did a famed Oklahoma prima ballerina help make 'The Nutcracker' a holiday classic?
Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, "The Nutcracker" premiered in 1892 at the Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," it wasn't initially a success.
"'The Nutcracker' didn't really catch ground until George Balanchine made his on the New York City Ballet — and that was a total hit. That was really the beginning of ... 'The Nutcracker' around the holiday season, around family, around tradition," OKC Ballet Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye told The Oklahoman.
When Balanchine's version of the then-obscure ballet premiered in 1954, it was Maria Tallchief — the Osage prima ballerina considered the most iconic of Oklahoma's famous "Five Moons" Native American dancers — who helped transform "The Nutcracker" into an annual Christmas favorite with her plum performance as the Sugar Plum Fairy.
In December 1963, Tallchief returned to her home state of Oklahoma to perform one of her signature roles with what was then known as the new Oklahoma City Civic Ballet at what's now known as Civic Center Music Hall , and it was more than just a holiday treat for OKC.
The yuletide appearance by Tallchief — recently immortalized as a Barbie doll — laid the groundwork for what's now Oklahoma City Ballet , which is debuting this year a "Nutcracker" featuring new sets, costumes, wigs, props, lighting and characters.
Here's what to know about the four productions of "The Nutcracker" playing in the OKC metro area this holiday season:
OKC Ballet's 'The Nutcracker'
With:Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices.
When:Dec. 14-23.
Sensory-friendly performance:7 p.m. Dec. 18.
Nutcracker Tea:4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 21.
Where:Civic Center, 201 N Walker.
Tickets: https://www.okcballet.org/performance/the-nutcracker .
Over the past two years, Jolicoeur-Nye has tweaked OKC Ballet's decade-year-old production of the holiday staple , but this year, the nonprofit arts organization has given its "Nutcracker" a total makeover.
Presented by Devon Energy, the new production includes 195 new costumes devised by renowned designer Holly Hynes . The new sets were designed by Michael Raiford and the lighting by Trad Burns, both internationally acclaimed designers.
"I've been meeting with them over the course of a year and a half to just conceptualize, 'What is it that makes this production so special for audiences all over the country? How do we hold true to the tradition that people are hoping and expecting to see, but also put our own new flavor on it?'" Jolicoeur-Nye said.
OKC Ballet's new "The Nutcracker" features 12 sparkling snowflakes, Christmas tree twins, a snowy European street scene, an epic food fight, polar bears, Mother and Father Ginger, fairies and fireflies, plus a Mouse King and Queen and pirate mice.
"I really tried to thread the needle from beginning to end in terms of character development and storytelling. So, we have our main character, Clara, who will be played by a little girl from the school. She has an older sister named Marie: Traditionally, in 'The Nutcracker' ballet, Marie and Clara are interchangeable names for the same person, so I've added a sibling to the family," Jolicoeur-Nye said.
"You have Fritz, who is somebody that you see in party scene, he causes some trouble, and then he disappears and never comes back. Then, you have Hans, who's been a nephew or apprentice of Herr Drosselmeyer the toymaker, and he typically turns into the Nutcracker Prince. ... Now, they're all in the entire ballet."
"The Nutcracker" will be performed by OKC Ballet's 27 professional dancers and more than 80 students from the Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic will play Tchaikovsky's score live at each performance, and Canterbury Youth Voices will sing live during the "snow scene."
Central Oklahoma Ballet Company's 'The Nutcracker'
With:Oklahoma Community Orchestra.
When:8 p.m. Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. Dec. 8.
Where:Yukon Fine Arts Center, 850 Yukon Ave., Yukon.
Tickets: www.centralokballet.org .
The Central Oklahoma Ballet Company annually follows "The Nutcracker" heroine Clara on her enchanted journey to the Land of the Sweets with its production of the traditional Christmas classic.
Accompanied by the Oklahoma Community Orchestra , the Yukon production features professional guest artists and local performers.
'RACE's Hip Hop Nutcracker'
When:7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and 2 p.m. Dec. 15.
Spanish-language performance:2 p.m. Dec. 14.
Where:Oklahoma City Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S May Ave.
Tickets: https://www.racedance.com .
For the 12th year, RACE Dance Collective — a professional OKC hip-hop, contemporary and jazz dance company — is bringing back its original reimagining of the seasonal favorite.
"RACE's Hip Hop Nutcracker" follows Carlos, the teenage son of a single mother, as he imagines what it would be like to have a father and embarks on a journey of self-discovery featuring magic dolls, battling robots and Snowfly fairies.
Each year, RACE Dance members spend weeks working with local public school students who then perform in the yuletide production. This year, teens from at least four Oklahoma City Public Schools are performing in "RACE's Hip Hop Nutcracker," and all of them will receive new shoes to wear in the show and then keep through RACE's Giving Soles program .
This year's production will add a live DJ, with Tony Tee, aka DJ Nymasis, taking on that role.
"I think that's the last piece to be the ultimate iteration that I visualized or imagined or dreamt of, when the show first came to me. So, it is really exciting to see that it's continuing to actualize and develop in a way that's inclusive of the culture of hip-hop, which is so important," said Hui Cha Poos, founder of RACE Dance Collective and creator of its signature yuletide show.
"To see that it is still developing and still continuing to grow beyond me, there's something so surreal and so beautiful about that."
'Edmond's Nutcracker'
When:2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. Dec. 8.
Where:Rose State Performing Arts Center, 6000 S Prosper Blvd., Midwest City.
Information: https://www.okcciviccenter.com/events/detail/edmonds-nutcracker and https://www.edmondsnutcracker.com .
After the success of last year's inaugural production, Oklahoma Youth Arts Foundation, Oklahoma Dance Center and Oklahoma Youth Ballet are presenting the second annual "Edmond's Nutcracker."
Although the show's original venue, Oklahoma Christian University's Baugh Auditorium in Edmond, was not able to accommodate the production this year, the OKC metro area's newest iteration of "The Nutcracker" landed a new home at Rose State Performing Arts Center in Midwest City.
"Rose State was a big blessing ... and we're going to establish ourselves as their annual performance of 'The Nutcracker.' We've made a great relationship with them," said Lee, with Oklahoma Dance Center.
Artistic director Joshua Brooksher is staging a classical version of the yuletide coming-of-age fantasy, but all the dancers are children and youths. The character roles are filled with volunteers, including theater students and dancers' parents.
"We're hoping that every year we're very blessed with it becoming bigger and bigger," Lee said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Here are 4 ways to see 'The Nutcracker' in the OKC metro this Christmas
