For many in Salt Lake City, the greatest source of pride has been Willam Christensen’s efforts to make the first American version of The Nutcracker, which he transported from its San Francisco premiere in 1944 to the University of Utah in the 1950s and eventually to its permanent spot in the Ballet West repertoire. One of the numerous compelling explanations of how deeply The Nutcracker has been ingrained in Ballet West’s history from its earliest days came from Michael Onstad, who danced as the Snow Prince in the 1974 production. As a Salt Lake Tribune feature noted at the time, Onstad had danced as “a parent, a mouse, the host, a soloist in the Waltz of the Flowers and Dr. Drosselmeyer. This year [1974], he alternates as the aging doctor, Snow Prince, and in the Arabian and the Waltz of the Flowers segments.” Why did The Nutcracker matter every year, even if dancers knew the entirety of it by heart. “Nutcracker is like a report card,” Onstad explained. “It means I’ve grown a year… I’m excited to see what roles I’ll be doing… And I love magic. I read fantasy stories for pleasure… You can feel discouraged, annoyed, upset and you can hurt, physically from pain, but Nutcracker takes that all away.”
Last year, Ballet West’s The Nutcracker brought more than 50,000 people to the audiences. Barely a week after the production opened its Salt Lake City run, which will continue through Dec. 28, this year’s ticket sales already have zipped past the 30,000 mark.
This year is historically significant, as the production, created by Ballet West founder Willam Christensen, turns 80 — which was the nation’s first of this holiday classic. As noted in The Utah Review’s feature last year, commemorating the company’s 60th anniversary: For many in Salt Lake City, the greatest source of pride has been Mr. C’s efforts to make the first American version of The Nutcracker, which he transported from its San Francisco premiere in 1944 to the University of Utah in the 1950s and eventually to its permanent spot in the Ballet West repertoire.
In this year’s Utah Legislature session, a bill was passed designating this Nutcracker production as a Living Historic Landmark, the first such distinction for a performing arts production in the U.S. The timing of this milestone acknowledgment could not be better: As recent productions have demonstrated, under the steadfast leadership of Adam Sklute, the company’s artistic director, Ballet West and its magnificent corps of dancers and principal artists are at their heights of performance excellence. This year’s Nutcracker production underscores this assertion: the most exhilarating program on the holiday season calendar.
A plaque marking the honor will be on display in the lobby of the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre throughout the current performance run until Dec. 28, and will continue to be exhibited for all future productions of Ballet West and Christensen’s The Nutcracker at the Capitol Theatre and all tour performances. For tickets and more information, see the Ballet West website.
Photo: Beau Pearson.
After he retired, Christensen (or, Mr. C, as many knew him) was asked frequently in interviews about how he crafted his version of the holiday classic. He initially built the skeleton for it by cobbling details from recollections of dancers and choreographers as well as an edited version that was performed by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. It was George Balanchine who told him about the Mother Buffoon number and the eight young dancers hidden under her skirt. Mr. C wanted a version closer musically to Tchaikovsky’s scoring:
So most of the steps are mine – my own creation. But musically, it’s absolutely right on the beam. As dancers become better, it gets better. And then, I change some, because I like to keep new vitality. The company is far better now than it used to be. So we can do much better.
He talked about walking in downtown San Francisco during the wartime years and hearing a recording of the Dance of the Mirlitons, which was being played in a store window display. He insisted on a strong visualization of Tchaikovsky’s familiar music: “And I thought, well, in the musical play, I used to say, if you could come out singing the tune, it’s a success.”
He talked to White Russians, including those who were pre-Bolshevik. Russell Hartley, who was then a 19-year-old dancer, created the costumes for the first production. Antonio Sotomayor, a South American artist, designed the backdrops which were covered with images of cupcakes, candy canes, ice cream cones and lollipops. The orchestral score had been obtained from the U.S. Library of Congress. The recording Mr. C was most familiar with came from Leopold Stokowski, the legendary conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Today, one of the standout production elements is the live performance of the music by the Ballet West Orchestra, led by musical director Jared Oaks.
The first Nutcracker was a huge success. A buoyant Mr. C wanted to stage Hansel and Gretel for the San Francisco Opera, as part of the general ballet repertoire. “And a stage hand said, “You’ll lose your shirt. ‘Cause they do it at the Met but out here it hasn’t succeeded.” Mr. C said the stage hand was right: “I personally lost $9,000. In 1944, that was quite a bit of money. And I went back to the Nutcracker and it’s never stopped.” In fact, it would be in 1949 when The Nutcracker came back to San Francisco and it has been presented annually ever since.
The timeless, universal appeal of Ballet West’s Nutcracker legacy for children has been a constant throughout that 80-year history. Last year, when Ballet West marked its 60th anniversary of its current institutional form, The Utah Review asked four local students to write reviews of the 2023 production. This year, with the assistance of Christal Jackson, an English teacher and ELL coordinator at City Academy, we recruited two students, who have now seen a live ballet performance in its full splendor for the first time, to review the 80th anniversary production (see below): Max Cheeney and Joana Figueroa Tafolla.
There are 75 children in each of the four rotating casts for the production run. It has always struck me as wholly appropriate that a fresh perspective for reviewing this holiday tradition should come from young voices. The elegant parallels are obvious. It has been delightful to observe how these young reviewers are enchanted about their introduction to ballet through the 2024 Ballet West production of The Nutcracker.
Photo: Beau Pearson.
Max Cheeney
Hello, I’m Maxwell, but Max for short. I’ve lived in Utah for my entire 17 years of living and I’m a guy who really likes video games, and loves to analyze anything from film, music, games, and other forms of art. I proudly attend City Academy in Salt Lake City, and I hope you enjoy my review.
The Nutcracker is a timeless holiday classic, and is (probably) the most popular ballet performance of all time. Here in Utah, Ballet West is proud to say that not only were they the first American production, they are also celebrating the 80th anniversary of its production here. I was lucky enough to go on the opening night, thanks to an invitation from Les Roka, editor of The Utah Review.
Firstly, as this is my first experience with The Nutcracker, I’d love to say that this is already an instant favorite. It’s such a well-done example of how effective the art form of ballet can be at telling a story, even without words. It was a beautiful performance and many times while watching I was just jaw-droppingly impressed at how well the ballet dancers were doing and how enchanting the performance was to me. I was hooked. The story was also really simple to follow; once I understood it was a dream. I’d also love to point out the energy, and the environment. This performance is so beloved amongst so many people and seeing that come out with the electrifying crowd was amazing, too. At many points, I could even see that the dancers always had large smiles on their faces.
I really thought the orchestra was perfect and a pleasant experience to hear, for my first time. The set was immaculate and it was crazy what they could do with only some small projections and it’s a much more effective way of showing settings because it can transform easier and have more immersion in the story. It snatched my attention from the very opening scene and I loved the casting this year. Clara’s character was spot-on and her actions showed not only a good depiction of age, but her emotions, too. My favorite part was probably the ending scene, or the part with Mother Buffoon. The little bees who came from under the character’s dress were adorable and really quite funny. The music was able to depict so many moments in the story and I loved how delicate the Sugar Plum Fairy’s and the Snow Queen’s music felt because it reminded me of how delicate snow is. I love how certain actions in the choreography went with the rhythm and changes in the music.
Overall, I really enjoyed this year’s performance of The Nutcracker. It was really fun and enjoyable, and I’m happy that my Mom could attend with me. We both love the Christmas spirit and The Nutcracker effectively displays its setting of Christmas Eve and Clara’s dreams of her holiday with her toys.
Joana Figueroa Tafolla
My name is Joana. I go to City Academy and I’m a Junior. My first language was Spanish but over the years living in Utah I’ve learned English. I enjoy reading books and writing.
This was my first ballet event experience. The Nutcracker event was such a great and fun experience. The crowd all went crazy each time there was a new topic. They were also very talkative throughout the show and plenty of laughs came from the roof.
It was such a new and different experience from everything else I’ve tried. It really brought back Christmas vibes and I unlocked so many memories again. The Mouse King was a riot, cracking jokes for everyone. The dancer-actors performing the scene were also so great and all of them were very talented to achieve that skill. All the set ups and costumes were all great. My favorite part was definitely the Mouse King, who was a really fun and interesting character in The Nutcracker.
Overall, it was such a great winter experience to have. It was all really fun and exciting. The audience was very respectful yet relaxed which is so nice to have in a ballet. You know they enjoyed it enough that they were excited about what was going to happen next but calm that they felt like they were able to relax.
Each new setting on stage had the audience in suspense. Each of the audience members was very excited for what was coming next. Each part of The Nutcracker was exciting for the audience and I couldn’t think about anything else except for how much effort they put into this. It was all beautiful. As my first time in a ballet event, I would go back to one of these again.