Ever since it debuted in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia, “The Nutcracker” has grown into one of the most ubiquitous Christmas traditions. And ever since the San Francisco Ballet performed the first U.S. rendition in 1944, its showings have quickly become an American institution, stretching from the snow-covered Northeast to sunny Southern California, with siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends summoned to yet another production of “The Nutcracker.”
Friends of DanceWorks’ Director Karen Cannon is very cognizant of “Nutcracker” fatigue.
“You tend to have the same students who do it year after year, and I think their parents are probably thinking, ‘Oh, it’s going to be the same thing,’ ” Cannon said with a smile. “So I think they’re going to be surprised this year.”
Cannon and DanceWorks’ instructors — Julia Ostrovskaia, Alyssa Hofmann, Tiffany Schmeling and Lacey Ackerman — brainstormed ways they could spice things up to keep all parties interested for the performances at 7 p.m. Dec. 8; 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 9; and 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at Prairie High School, 11311 N.E. 119th St.
Cannon calls Ostrovskaia the “ballet mistress,” and Ostrovskaia has handled much of the choreography, making it more challenging than in previous years, Cannon explained. The plot has also been slightly altered to include a dream-like twist.