With much anticipation in the air, the Tivoli Theatre begins to fill as the young – and young at heart – pour through the doors and make their way to their seats. The lights dim, the curtains rise, and a feeling of magic descends upon the audience as one of the most beloved Christmas performances of all time – The Nutcracker – unfolds.
A Classic Story
The ballet opens with the familiar scene of a Christmas Eve party at the Silberhaus home where little Clara, her brother Fritz, and their parents are celebrating with friends and family. Clara’s dark and mysterious godfather, Drosselmeyer, enters with life-size dolls that he has brought to the party for entertainment, and he bears a large bag of gifts for the children – all except Clara.
When Clara approaches her godfather, asking for her gift, he presents her with the Nutcracker, the soldier and soon to be prince of the story. Clara is overjoyed, but in jealousy, her brother Fritz breaks the Nutcracker. Clara lovingly bandages her wounded soldier, and after the family is sound asleep Clara creeps back downstairs to check on her new toy.
At the stroke of midnight, the lines between dream and reality begin to blur. As Clara has fallen asleep next to the Christmas tree downstairs, the audience holds its breath as mice menacingly appear and surround Clara. Upon waking, Clara tries to run away, but the mice stop her. As the audience anticipates someone coming to Clara’s rescue, the Christmas tree begins to magically grow from 10 feet to 18 feet and fill the room.
Soldiers led by the now life-size Nutcracker gallantly rise to defend Clara. After a grueling battle between the Nutcracker and Mouse King, the Mouse King is triumphantly defeated. The Nutcracker transforms into a prince and whisks Clara away to travel lands of dancing fairies, queens and magic, complete with characters such as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Rose Queen who dance for Clara. One of the most memorable characters of the Kingdom of Sweets is Mother Ginger, who stands 10 and a half feet tall with Polichinelles (little French clowns) running out from underneath her enormous skirt to dance. Naturally, the second act is full of magic as colorful and vivid dances fill the stage and fill the audience with wonder.
The Story Behind the Story
This two-act ballet was adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, written in 1891. The music was scored by P.I. Tchaikovsky.
In 1892 the ballet premiered before a Russian audience as part of an extravagant, high-brow event. To the surprise of many, the overall performance was not received well. Audiences applauded the music, but rebuked the children’s story. For over 50 years the ballet struggled until immigrating to America. In 1944, on Christmas Eve and with World War II raging, The Nutcracker premiered in San Francisco where audiences fervently embraced the magical celebration of family, childhood and dreams coming true. The show moved across the heartland, and a decade later landed permanently in New York City.
Today, The Nutcracker is an iconic holiday performance. From its humble beginnings, the ballet is now performed on more than 500 American stages, large and small, and its music is among the most popular soundtracks for Christmas.
Chattanooga Welcomes The Nutcracker
In the late 1970s this beloved ballet made its first appearance in Chattanooga. Dancers came from New York, while the children’s roles were filled by local dance students led by Karen Smith, founder of Chattanooga Center for the Dance (now Chattanooga Ballet) and the Children’s Company Director.
For over a decade, The Nutcracker was performed off and on in Chattanooga. But in 1987, New York native Bob Willie, current Director of the Chattanooga Ballet and Theater Generalist, brought the ballet permanently to Chattanooga. Willie, having been trained in acting, directing and choreography, has over sixty professional credits ranging from Shakespeare to musical comedy and is now directing his 23rd Nutcracker performance in Chattanooga.
“I intended to stay in Chattanooga for one year,” Bob remembers, “which is to say, one Nutcracker.” After he began to see the renaissance happening in the city, especially in the arts, he decided to stay. “I saw the Tivoli under renovation, saw what kind of commitment this community was willing to make, and thought I’d stick it out and see it through in that venue.”
Behind the Scenes
With over 23 years of experience in The Nutcracker under his belt, Bob says, “It’s an ongoing process, beginning with our post-production meeting in January. The work doesn’t stop until the final curtain call.” Costumes need to be repaired and restored, choreography fine-tuned, sets upgraded, props replaced, and another wide-eyed class of children introduced to the magic that is The Nutcracker.
Each year, young dancers audition for angels, mice, soldiers, Polichinelles (little French clowns that accompany Mother Ginger), and of course, Clara. Clara’s role requires Victorian-style ringlets, as do the roles for the girls who dance at the opening party. According to Bob Willie, “The two girls cast for Clara wear a head full of pink sponge rollers to school on performance days as a badge of honor.”
With a team that includes Chattanooga Ballet Master Frank Hay, the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera orchestra, and the Chattanooga Ballet’s Corps de Ballet, Bob Willie has an abundance of talent to work with. Frank Hay is choreographer extraordinaire and his principal dancers for The Nutcracker include Kirsten Hawkins, Era Terry, Kyle Dagnan, Shanelle Newton, Amanda Walker Gray, Christine Mashburn-Paul, Robert Greer and Diamond LaGrave.
In addition, designing, sewing and alteration of the wardrobe are huge components of the production. Joyce Rascov, Trudie Patterson, Joellen Wojtowicz, and now, Kim Tisdale keep the cast looking brilliant. Members of the Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees work the lights, electronics, special effects, and sets. Makeup is done by Flora Slater, and Lauren Abney manages backstage operations with the help of about 60 volunteers.
What audiences see on curtain night is the culmination of a lot of very hard work.
The Dancers
The Nutcracker certainly could not happen without the dancers who work hard to achieve the perfect blending of grace and power. The Sugar Plum Fairy, Columbine, Soldier Doll, Snow Queen, Cavalier, Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Marzipan, and Rose Queen who dance in the Kingdom of Sweets are difficult roles, but they showcase the incredible talent of Chattanooga dancers. The culminating duet, featuring Sugar Plum and Cavalier, is breathtaking. Last year this dance was performed by Amanda Walker Gray and Robert Greer who will perform this pas de deux again this year.
The dancers practice every day from September until December in preparation, with a different rehearsal every day for specific roles and dances. On Saturdays 180 children fill the studios to practice the choreography.
Kirsten Hawkins, 26-year old company dancer with the Chattanooga Ballet, has danced more than 100 live Nutcracker performances. Hailing from Seattle, this seasoned dancer has performed all over the country and says, “Chattanooga Ballet has exceptional talent. We have absolutely beautiful dancers.”
Kirsten says that the professional dancers with the Chattanooga Ballet have training from all over the country from a variety of university and professional training programs. “The diversity of our dance skills makes for a great company, and the kids we teach learn a variety of styles.”
Climbing the cast-character ladder since the age of seven, Hawkins began as a Polichinelle, running out from underneath Mother Ginger’s dress. Last year she performed the roles of Rose Queen, Columbine, and Marzipan and has most recently taken on the roles of the Snow Queen and Marzipan Soloist for the 2010 season. She says that a lot of work goes into the production of this performance.
“We’re in go-mode, and we’re not going to slow down until after The Nutcracker. It’s a new and exciting performance every year as you push yourself to be better and take on new roles. There’s always something to improve, even if it’s just your smile!”
In light of all of the hard work required for such an undertaking, the magic remains as everyone does their part. “Everyone brings the magic,” Hawkins says. “The stage hands bring their skills, the ushers bring their friendly faces, the orchestra brings the movement of music, and each dancer brings their own personality and abilities. All of these unique gifts together … magic!”
Community Credit
Not only is the behind the scenes ballet coordination key to pulling off The Nutcracker, the audience and the community play huge roles in the magic.
“The audience is really important!” says Hawkins. “When the audience is engaged, clapping and cheering, the dancers get energy from that, and it makes us want to be better. Without the audience, the show would just be one dimensional.”
Chattanooga Ballet’s sophisticated production of The Nutcracker easily outshines those of much larger markets, yet the man behind the magic takes little credit for the six-figure-plus production.
“It’s the commitment of our city leaders to keep the arts alive and vibrant,” says Bob Willie. “We have incredible support from Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, the Tennessee Arts Commission, our corporate sponsors and our patrons. First, though,” he says, “it was the vision and dedication of William L. Montague Jr., who was a benefactor, patron and leader of the arts community. The Nutcracker wouldn’t be what it is had it not been for him.”
Joining forces with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera orchestra has greatly contributed to the success of the Chattanooga production of The Nutcracker. “It was natural,” Bob Willie says. “I began working with Alan Valentine, their executive director, immediately because when you have that level of local talent, there’s no reason for an empty orchestra pit.”
Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga has also had a hand in the success by supporting and funding arts education for the past 20 years. In 2009, it rolled out Imagine!, a new arts-education initiative that provides every student in a Hamilton County public elementary school an unprecedented introduction and exposure to the arts. The program provides tickets, transportation and study guides for every 2nd grade student in Hamilton County schools to attend The Nutcracker at the Tivoli Theatre.
Bob Willie got the call from Rodney Van Valkenburg, director of Arts Education for Allied Arts, telling him that the kickoff event for Imagine! would be The Nutcracker.
“I was thrilled,” Bob says. “So many of these children have never set foot in the Tivoli; they’ve never seen live performing arts, and it’s their first glimpse of classical ballet. The magic will live on for generations to come, and Allied Arts has a lot to do with that.”
The Imagine! program is continuing to work with Chattanooga Ballet this season with grants from SunTrust Bank and the Hamico Foundation.
Timeless Magic
The story of Clara, the Nutcracker, and far-away lands of dancing sweets speaks to a childlike wonder that the holidays bring. It’s a magical reminder that dreams do come true.
For children, the family Christmas tree does seem larger than life, sugar plum fairies dance in dreams on Christmas Eve, and there is never any doubt that the prince will come to the rescue. The Nutcracker is a celebration of those things. For adults, even if only for an hour or so, life becomes simpler and dreams become reality in the midst of the story and the dance.
This season, the Chattanooga Ballet and the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera orchestra extend an invitation to experience the magic as they present The Nutcracker on December 10, 11 and 12 at the Tivoli Theatre.
Generations will come together, Hamilton County school buses will decorate Broad Street, and 230 dancers with 400 rehearsal hours under their tights will be ready. The house lights will lower, the Overture will begin, and the highly-anticipated magic of The Nutcracker will once again bring wonder and warmth to Chattanooga.