December Arts Off 75: “The Nutcracker” and other seasonal favorites

It’s the most beautiful time of the year for most folks here in Southwest Ohio! Ballet dancers may feel differently as they spend the next few weeks performing that almost sacred holiday war horse, “The Nutcracker.”

The annual production of “The Nutcracker” is a massive operation for any dance company. There are weeks of practice, costume fittings and rehearsals, and hours of time and patience spent working with young children who play various supporting roles. While all of the preparation comes down to a relatively short period of actual production, the revenue from the output can be, for the lack of a polite term, a cash cow that keeps the organizations going for the rest of their year.

As a former dancer, I’ve performed many roles in “The Nutcracker” myself, including Clara’s father, the Mouse King (who doesn’t love playing a good villain) to the most stalwart of roles, and the Cavalier, the biggest support of the Sugar Plum fairy. So, I sympathize with dancers at this time of year and all of the energy that I know they are putting into their performances. I also know that no one can escape the ubiquitousness of the Nutcracker musical scores; played in what feels like every commercial and mall in America.

While it required hours of hard work, it was a pleasure to rehearse with some pretty amazing dancers during my dancing days. I was fortunate to have been coached by former ballerinas turned teachers who held an embodied knowledge of the roles and choreography, and I am grateful to have that forever in my memory. To this day, I can remember the opening sequence of a particular version of the Sugar Plum pas De Deux after I performed it countless times with Gem City Ballet.

Alas, I’m glad to have hung up the ballet tights and slippers and had the privilege of being an audience member and enjoyed it from the other side. I’ve been able to sit back and enjoy the beautiful combination of steps and musical score the way it was meant to be. Today, you can catch the ballet almost anywhere. Ohio has at least six cities with a professional ballet company and too many pre-professional ballet companies to count that all perform a version or variation of “The Nutcracker” ballet.

While it feels like an American cultural staple, “The Nutcracker” it has only been a signature ballet for a surprisingly short period. “The Nutcracker” first premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 17, 1892. Audiences lukewarmly received it, hating the convoluted story but loving the music. Even with these rocky beginnings, it has clawed its way into being an unassailable cultural entity. George Balanchine, a Russian emigre who played a significant role in introducing the art of ballet to our country, brought The Nutcracker to the US in the 1950s where it has become a seasonal favorite.

If you’re looking for some local performances of “The Nutcracker” and are up for the challenge, you can plan a Southwest Ohio tour of productions, from the Dayton Ballet to Cincinnati Ballet and even the BalletMet in Columbus. The Dayton Ballet and the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance have created a newly designed and revamped version. In only his second year as artistic director, Brandon Ragland has reinvigorated this ballet company in so many ways, and I believe this pristine new production promises to deliver a visually sumptuous feast of performing goodness.

Check out some of these showtimes for “The Nutcracker” and other performances and exhibitions in the area during the 2024-25 holiday season:

Rodney Veal
CET and Think^TV Producer and Community Arts Liaison