Does The Nutcracker crack the patience of conductors and dancers?

Nutcracker Dreams is performed in 2023. (Ashley Ettinger - image credit)
Nutcracker Dreams is performed in 2023. (Ashley Ettinger - image credit)

Every holiday season, theatres, symphonies and schools all over North America put up production after production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

But has Marche become the conductors and ballet dancers' equivalent of All I Want For Christmas Is You?

Greg Burton said he hasn't cracked after over 200 performances of this Christmas classic.

As part of its tradition, Symphony Nova Scotia brings to life Tchaikovsky's two-act ballet at Halifax's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. As its conductor, Burton said he doesn't get bored because it is a new challenge every time.

"Tchaikovsky composed an unbelievable piece that there's always something new in it every year, always something new. It's interesting," he said.

"It's a difficult piece. So you have to be a very good orchestra to play it well. And there's no time for boredom."

How The Nutcracker became Christmas staple

The Nutcracker premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892.

Burton described it as "a bit of a flop" when it first came out.

Even Tchaikovsky thought so. He said after the first performance that "everything went off perfectly, but nevertheless, it seemed to me that the public did not like it. They were bored."

However, Burton said that in the mid-20th century, the piece hit the stages of England and the United States, growing in popularity by the 60s.

"Especially at holiday time people love things that they do with their family and they do them every year and they look forward to them, make them feel good, and [have] that special holiday spirit," he said.

Family tradition

Nancy Ivy has taught the Nutcracker for 10 years. She never gets tired of it because it brings her family and community closer together.

She is a ballet teacher and owns KNM Danceworks, in Enfield, N.S., with her daughters, Kenzie and Morgan. Together, they produce Nutcracker Dreams, which is narrated for an easier comprehension of the story.

But it is not only the Ivy family that gets excited about this yearly tradition. Many people from their small community come together to help with props, costumes and settings.

"We have moms and dads that continue to help backstage even after their children graduated many, many years," said Ivy.

She said that when she first moved to her community in rural Nova Scotia, most people did not have an interest in ballet. But after producing Nutcracker Dreams for a decade, she has seen families integrating it into their holiday traditions.

"It happens every December and we do not have a problem filling any of the roles. Children are always eager to do it and parents come out."

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