Welcome to Cuesheet,

a performance guide

published by the

Education Department

of the John F. Kennedy

Center for the Performing

Arts, Washington, D.C.

This Cuesheet is designed

to help you enjoy the

working rehearsal of

The Nutcracker by

American Ballet Theatre.

A nutcracker marks

topics for discussion

or activities you

may want to do

with other students,

friends, or family.

For background

information about ballet

and working rehearsals,

refer to the insert.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

THE NUTCRACKERWorking Rehearsa l

CuesheetFOR STUDENTS

A merican Ballet Theatre (ABT) is recognized as one of the world’s leading balletcompanies. ABT was established 65 years ago to preserve important ballets of the

past and to encourage the creation of new works by young choreographers.

In this working rehearsal, you will see the ABT dancers rehearse The Nutcracker. KevinMcKenzie, the choreographer of this version of The Nutcracker, is also the Artistic Directorof ABT, where he selects the ballets that the company will perform.

At the working rehearsal,members of AmericanBallet Theatre work toperfect their productionof The Nutcracker beforethe evening performance.

PHOTOS BY MARTY SOHL

Ge

The Ballet

Marius Petipa (pronounced PEH-ti-puh), artistic director of the Imperial Russian Ballet in

St. Petersburg, Russia, created the originalballet version of The Nutcracker. His versionpremiered in 1892 to the music of composerPeter Tchaikovsky (chy-KOFF-skee).

The Characters

Clara—a young girlPeter—a bullyDrosselmeyer—Clara’s godfatherThe Prince—Drosselmeyer’s sonThe Nutcracker—a wooden soldier doll that cracks nutsThe Rat King—an evil ratSugar Plum Fairy—a beautiful fairy

The StoryPrologue

Drosselmeyer prepares for a Christmasparty at Clara’s house by packing toys forthe children, including a nutcracker doll. Hesadly recalls the Rat King’s curse, whichtransformed his son into a wooden nutcracker.Only a kind girl’s affection can lift the curse.

Act I, Scene I: A Christmas Party at Clara’s Home

As Clara’s family prepares their house for aholiday party, Clara has an imaginary teaparty with her dolls. Drosselmeyer and otherfamily members arrive for the party.Drosselmeyer gives gifts to all the children,including a nutcracker for Clara. During theparty, Drosselmeyer demonstrates how thenutcracker works. To Clara’s dismay, Peterbreaks the nutcracker’s jaw. Clara lovinglyplaces the nutcracker in a doll’s bed torecover. She then bids the guests goodnightand goes to bed herself.

Getting Ready

Drosselmeyer hands Clara the Nutcracker as a present during the Christmas party.

Notice Clara's hand gesture and how it reveals the way she feels about receiving the gift.

Practicing Pantomime

In The Nutcracker, dancers use hand gestures, calledpantomime, to help tell the story. When the Prince meetsthe Sugar Plum Fairy, he uses pantomime to tell her abouthis battle with the Rat King. Develop a pantomime using

hand gestures to describe this battle. Your pantomime must includegestures signifying the Rat King, a sword fight, and victory.

After the working rehearsal, discuss differences between thePrince’s pantomime and your own.

Act I, Scene II: The Battle

At midnight, Clara returns to the living roomand is startled by mice. Suddenly, everythingin the room begins to grow, and Clara’s dollscome to life. Huge rats enter and attack Claraand her dolls. The Nutcracker and the toysoldiers rush to their defense. The toy soldiersretreat in an effort to keep their uniformsclean and the Nutcracker is overcome by theRat King. Clara saves the Nutcracker, andthis act of kindness lifts the Rat King’s curse.The Nutcracker is transformed into a prince,and Drosselmeyer sends the couple on ajourney through the Land of Snow.

Act II: The Journey

Clara and the Prince continue their journeythrough Spain, Arabia, China, and Russia.They arrive in the Land of Flowers wherethe Sugar Plum Fairy transforms Clara into aballerina. After a celebration, Clara returnshome. As she tries to recall her adventures,Drosselmeyer enters with his son—the sameyoung man she saved.

During the Working Rehearsal,Watch for…m The grand pas de deux (PAH-d’-DUEH),

or dance for two, that showcases the talents of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, both individually and as partners.

m How the movement of the dancers in the Land of Snow suggests a snowstorm.

m The collection of dances from different countries in Act II that is used as entertainment. See if you can distinguish which dance is from which country.

After the curse islifted, the Princedances with Clara.

to See THE NUTCRACKER

Where did THE NUTCRACKERCome From?

Adaptation

The Nutcracker ballet is anadaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman’sshort story The Nutcracker and

the Mouse King. To adapt means tochange. Petipa made many changes totransform Hoffman’s tale into a storytold entirely through movement. Sincethe first performance of the ballet in1892, numerous ballet companies allover the world have performed it.Choreographers, like Kevin McKenzie,continue to adapt the story, setting theaction in different time periods,locations, and cultures. Through all thechanges, the story and the ballet stillremain popular today.

Think about:

m The considerations a choreographermust make to adapt a short story into a ballet that lasts longer than an hour.

m How it would be different to adapt a long story (novel) into a ballet.

ABT’s NUTCRACKERKevin McKenzie, like manychoreographers, has created his ownversion of The Nutcracker. In otherversions of the ballet, Clara wakes upalone at the end and realizes she is backat home. The audience is left wonderingif her adventures happened only in herdreams. In ABT’s version, the Prince,Clara’s companion throughout her travels,reappears at the end with his father,Drosselmeyer, making the fantasy world she experienced seem more real.

The Prince jumps with one leg in passé (pah-SAY),a position where one foot touches the side of theother knee.

Fantasy or Reality?

The Nutcracker presents a worldof childhood wonder wheremagic blurs the line betweenreality and fantasy. Why do you

think McKenzie has the Princereappear at the end? Discuss your ideaswith your class.

The U.S. Department of Educationsupports approximately one-third of thebudget for the Kennedy Center EducationDepartment. The contents of this Cuesheetdo not necessarily represent the policy ofthe U.S. Department of Education, and youshould not assume endorsement by theFederal Government.

Stephen A. Schwarzman

Chairman

Michael M. Kaiser

President

Darrell M. Ayers

Vice President, Education

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American Ballet Theatre:

The Nutcracker Cuesheet

Editorial and Art Direction: ARTSEDGE

Writer: Kirsten A. Bodensteiner

Designer: Carla Badaracco

ResourcesYou may want to… read: Greskovic, Robert. Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet. New York, NY: Hyperion, 1988.Hoffman, E.T.A. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1984.

listen to: Tchaikovsky, Pytor Ilyich. Suite No. 3 for Orchestra. Naxos 8.550728, 1994.

go online: American Ballet Theatre at abt.org

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE,

a program of the Kennedy Center

Education Department and a member

of the MarcoPolo Consortium.

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