Interview: Directors of The Nutcracker & Their Love for Ballet

As the holiday season reawakens to the timeless narrative of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince – an endearing ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score more than a century ago, we are once again reminded of yuletide charm and grand holiday traditions through the sanguine eyes of a child; not to mention legendary visions of an enchanted forest wonderland and a beautifully choreographed Pas De Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier.

Co-directed by Robin Sherertz-Morgan and Javier Velasco of the San Diego Ballet Company, the ever-iconic ballet features an international cast of more than 100 – a corps of professional dancers from the U.S., as well as Russia, China, Japan and Mexico, along with an ensemble of children from the San Diego School of Ballet. Performances are slated for December 3rd and 4th at the Birth North Park Theater [also featuring the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra and Master Choral], and again on December 17th and 18th at the UCSD Mandeville Auditorium in La Jolla.

Q: In terms of holiday performances that you’ve performed in or choreographed, how does "The Nutcracker" rank?

Robin Sherertz-Morgan: "The Nutcracker" is unique in that it has so many different resonances for so many different people.

Javier Velasco: For years, I worked on productions of "A Christmas Carol" at the San Diego Rep. It was a unique production, in that the theatre felt that every-other-year they wanted to re-imagine it. I remember that audience members would rank the productions as in "Oh well, this year’s ‘traditional’ version was better than last years ‘gospel’ version or the ‘swing’ version from the year before that." You don’t really get that with "The Nutcracker" because so much of it has to do with the joy of seeing children on stage – some performing for the first time. While the heavy lifting is done by the professional dancers, some of the most memorable moments in the show come from some of the smallest performers.

Q: In celebrating your 22nd Season at the San Diego Ballet, how do you keep "The Nutcracker" fresh and somewhat renewed for audiences – while keeping to the tradition of the production?

Morgan: We get this question often. And I guess I would have to answer it in three different ways. The first is that when the choreography is re-interpreted by different dancers, it becomes different. Every year’s cast brings cast changes. Sometimes it is in the principal dancer roles, sometimes in soloist roles. And in some cases, parts are double cast. So you could see two different interpretations of the Sugarplum Fairy in the same year. Just as Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, and Lady Gaga can all sing the exact same song and give you a totally different experience.

The second answer is, in the big scheme of things, we really don’t do the ballet all that much. In a one year run, any show on Broadway will be performed more than we perform "The Nutcracker" in 12 years. And yet, I do not hear the question, ‘How does "The Lion King" stay fresh?’

Which brings us to answer number three: to some extent, people want to see a repeat experience. They want the Christmas tree to grow, they want to see snow falling from the sky, and in our production, they want to see a horde of tiny marzipan sheep zoom across the stage.

Q: Do you have a favorite scene?

Morgan: My favorite "scene" would probably have to be the snow scene at the end of Act One. The dancers are dancing full out. There is snow falling everywhere. The stage turns blue and the music sounds like a cross between a heavenly choir and a blizzard. Then everything sort of crystallizes into what could be a scene inside a snow globe.

Q: Why do you think "The Nutcracker" has remained a timeless holiday tradition for so many (of all ages)?

Morgan: I think because it is something that begins when people are very young. And music is such a strong link to memory. You could say that it has something to do with the fact that so many little girls take ballet classes and are exposed then, but I think that there is more to it than that.

We perform "The Nutcracker" throughout the west. One year, we were in Colorado Springs. I was in the lobby signing autographs as my character in the ballet. A very well dressed older woman came up to me to thank me for the performance. She had two sons in the military, on leave from serving in Iraq. As a surprise, they had flown her out to visit them and to see our show, because she had always taken them to see it as children. Just then two young men in dress whites came up on either side of her and thanked me. I always wonder what happened to them. I think that there IS an element about "The Nutcracker" that while it is FUN, it is also an introduction to "culture," more so than a show like "The Grinch." Get dressed up. Be on good behavior. Be a better person.

Q: Can we expect any new twists in this year’s "Nutcracker?"

Morgan: When you are working with so many young performers, anything is possible.

San Diego City Ballet

sandiegoballet.org