Q1. For a Ballet that was created in 1892, why doyou think this particular story resonates with so many Americans tothis day? What does this tell us about contemporary society?Use and cite examples to support your views.

The Nutcracker Ballet, An AmericanTradition

"It’s Christmas Eve and Clara Stahlbaum and her familyare hosting a huge Christmas party with lots of food, drink andpresents. Clara’s mysterious godfather Drosselmeyer arrives andgives Clara a special Christmas present, a beautiful woodenNutcracker doll.

Clara’s brother Fritz is jealous of the gift – theyfight and the Nutcracker is broken.

Drosselmeyer, who is very good at magic tricks and inventions,mends the doll. Later that night, Clara creeps downstairs to checkon her beloved new toy. The clock strikes midnight and suddenly allthe toys come to life! Clara finds herself in the middle of abattle between the toy soldiers and the greedy mice. She issurprised to see the Nutcracker doll leading the soldiers intobattle and taking on the seven-headed Mouse King!

Clara bravely helps the Nutcracker but the Mouse King has theadvantage and looks like he is about to defeat the Nutcracker.Clara steps in and clouts the Mouse King with her shoe. He isdefeated and the spell is broken! The Nutcracker is transformedinto a young man. He tells Clara that he is Hans Peter, the nephewof Drosselmeyer who was cursed by the Mouse King’s mother manyyears ago.

Together, Clara, Hans-Peter and Drosselmeyer travel on a sleigh,driven by the Christmas tree angel, to far-away lands. They travelthrough the Land of Snow and finally to the Kingdom of Sweets wherethey meet the Sugar Plum Fairy, who welcomes them to herkingdom and introduces her friends.

Everyone dances in celebration, but it is getting late and soonClara finds herself floating back to bed. She wakes on Christmasmorning, wondering if it was all a dream, but outside on the streetthere is a boy who looks very familiar…" - The Royal OperaHouse Nutcracker synopsis

The Nutcracker is one of the most popular balletsto date. Nearly every major ballet company performs TheNutcracker ballet to sold out audiences during the monthsof November and December. This past year, companies like TheBoston Ballet virtually produced the production and manycompanies followed the virtual streaming trend. During the holidayseason, toy nutcrackers can be found on store shelves aroundthe globe and little ballerina ornaments hang from many Christmastrees across America.

"Balanchine’s version became a huge success, partially because of his choreography and overall vision for the production, partly because it was televised in 1957 and 1958, making it a national tradition, and partly because it catered to the sensibilities and anxieties of Cold War America, by creating a cultural experience reflecting the social norms of the time." - Kat Eschner, Smithsonian Magazine)

“Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is a tribute to idealized middle-class family life,” writes Catherine Kodat(scholar). “Fathers dance with their daughters with gentle ceremony and decorous affection; mothers come to the rescue of sons left without a dance partner; children squabble and their parents smooth things over; and, most importantly, the pleasures of holiday feasting are presented unalloyed by working-class anxiety or upper-class decadence.”

As we examine the values of The Nutcracker ballet as a form of expression, communication,and entertainment we can wonder how our society is impacted by the values demonstrated in this ballet and vice versa. (CO5,CO6) Before answering the questions below, review the synopsis and quotes from the scholars/writers above. Reflect on the perceived 'meaning' of the ballet and ask yourself, "What was Petipa and then Balanchine trying to express and/or communicate?" Feel free to go back to the 'Classical Ballet' page and re-watch the passage from the Nutcracker. Then, answer the following in a detailed, concise paragraph.