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“The Nutcracker”—A Mini-Travelogue
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Thursday, December 24, 2015
 

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

“Nutcracker on Ice” has been a Christmas Eve tradition at Sun Valley for the past dozen years, with Herr Drosselmeyer taking a stand amidst dancing flowers and characters from Candy Land.

And it will be that way again tonight when the Christmas Eve fairy tale in which young Clara’s Nutcracker toy comes alive and whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls unfolds on Sun Valley’s outdoor ice rink at 5:30 p.m.

Ballet Idaho artistic director Peter Anastos told Dana Oland, a former colleague of mine at the Idaho Statesman, that ballets went beyond simply being an evening of entertainment when “The Nutcracker” opened in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Ballets then often presented snapshots of exotic lands seen through their national dances. Most people didn’t travel then, he said, so ballets were like mini-travelogues or postcards from each culture.

Each of the divertissements in the second half of “The Nutcracker” correlates to a sweet treat that was popular at that time in the countries far from Russia.

Dancers dancing the Spanish dance, for instance, often wear chocolate-colored costumes to reflect the hot cocoa that Spanish conquistadors introduced from Mexico. The Chinese dance often features men popping out of tea caddies.

The Arabian dance, based on a Georgian lullaby, salutes the thick, rich coffee of Turkey. The French segment dotes on Marzipan, a candy made form honey, almonds and sugar often shaped into whimsical forms.

And the Russian variation features a Ukrainian dance associated with Russian tea cakes, along with a Candy Cane dance.

Today, the ballet is probably the most famous in the world, with millions attending holiday performances throughout the world.

But did you know:

The Nutcracker’s first full-length production didn’t appear in the United States until 1944. The San Francisco Opera Ballet had the honor of being the first American company to perform it.

It was not until 1954 that George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet first performed it in New York.

Composer Pyotr Illyrich Tchaikovsky said he felt “The Nutcracker’s” music was “infinitely poorer” than “Sleeping Beauty’s.”

And, indeed, “The Nutcracker” opened to a lukewarm reception and poor reviews by critics. One critic called the Sugar Plum Fairy “corpulent” and “podgy.” Another panned a doll star as “completely insipid.” And one critic complained that the battle scene was confusing: “Disorderly pushing about from corner to corner and running backwards and forwards—quite amateurish.”

Still, the 20-minute “Nutcracker Suite,” which features the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” “Russian Dance,” “Arabian Dance” and “Waltz of the Flowers,” was a huge success when Tchaikovsky introduced it prior to the full-length ballet’s debut.

Tchaikovsky used a celesta in the original performance. The celesta is a keyboard that looks like a piano. But its hammers strike steel plates, rather than strings.

Tchaikovsky discovered the newly invented instrument in Paris and was immediately captivated by its “divinely beautiful tone.” He arranged to have one sent to Russia in secret for fear his competitors might get ahold of one and use it before him.

Much of the choreography created by Maurius Petipa and Lev Ivanov is still used in today’s performances.

IF YOU GO:

Sun Valley’s outdoor ice rink will open at 3 p.m. today. Sun Valley Resort will serve up free cocoa, hot cider and cookies beginning at 5 p.m.  There also will be a no-host bar.

The Sun Valley Carolers will serve up a few a cappella carols at 5:30 p.m. and “Nutcracker on Ice,” will follow at 5:40 p.m. The show will feature tiny tots from the Sun Valley Figure Skating Club, as well as professionals from the Sun Valley on Ice summer shows.

Sun Valley ski instructors will usher the Torchlight Parade down Dollar Mountain as the show comes to a close. Fireworks over Dollar Mountain will cap the event at about 6 p.m., along with a visit from Santa Claus.

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