Its narrative seeds are German, and its balletic roots go back to Imperial Russia, but as a Christmas staple, The Nutcracker is wholeheartedly American.
It premiered in St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater in 1892, created by fabulist E.T.A. Hoffman, original choreographer Lev Ivanov and composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Credit much of the seasonal dance craze on these shores to San Francisco Ballet, which in 1944 mounted the first full-length Nutcracker in the United States.
Now PBS brings the sparkle of this company’s most recent adaptation, choreographed by artistic director Helgi Tomasson and filmed last year at the War Memorial Opera House, as part of Great Performances’ Dance in America. As hostess, Dancing with the Stars winner Kristi Yamaguchi gives this a pop spin, but the allure remains vintage as Act One’s party scene is set, with delightful period details, in the City by the Bay during the 1915 World’s Fair. Note that unlike the choreo-centric Balanchine staging we’re used to via Miami City Ballet, this take on the classic (more similar to Ballet Florida’s) strengthens the story line; there’s a resourcefully involved Uncle Drosselmeyer (David Smith), a romantically mature Clara (Maria Kochetkova, lovely and pliant dancing the grand pas with David Karapetyan, who is dashing and full of spring), and a warmer human touch in the realm of the Sugar Plum Fairy. That sweet thing, by the way, is danced by Vanessa Zahorian as if her turns and balances were the only treats your appetite will need.
Guillermo Perez
INFORMATIONAL BOX:
On TV
Program: Great Performances: Dance In America: San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker
Airs: 8 p.m. on WBPT-Ch. 2
