Sacramento Ballet presents groundbreaking ‘Nutcracker’ with modern values and themes

Ranking among the most well-known ballets today, “The Nutcracker,” first performed in 1892 and popularized in America in the 1960s, is a holiday ritual for many dance companies and families alike.

But for the second year in a row, Sacramento Ballet is presenting a take on the Christmas classic that offers everything expected of the yearly tradition while making changes to reflect more modern values and themes.

Sacramento Ballet Artistic Director Amy Seiwert, who choreographed the company’s interpretation of the ballet for its first performance last year, approached the opportunity to choreograph The Nutcracker with deep knowledge of the show. Seiwert performed in two different versions in her 19-year career as a dancer.

“It was very important for me to add my own voice to the canon and not just mix up (previous versions),” Seiwert said.

Some changes were made for better storytelling, Seiwert said, as some parts in more classic interpretations of the production don’t make total sense. But the more important task she gave herself was to modernize the show.

“We can approach classical art forms with contemporary sensibilities,” Seiwert said. “In a lot of versions of The Nutcracker, Marie is considered this perfect little girl … she’s an archetype but not a human.”

The ultimate goal was to give audiences, especially children, a different message to walk away with after seeing how Marie, the main character, approaches the obstacles put in her path.

“So many kids come to see The Nutcracker. For so many people, it’s the first ballet they see,” Seiwert said. “To be able to show them, ‘You can do hard things. You can walk through a hard situation,’ to put that image out there was very important to me.”

Seiwert is one of the most prominent female ballet directors and choreographers in the nation. As she points out, there aren’t many to begin with.

Her production of The Nutcracker was the only full-length world premiere created by a woman for the 2018-2019 season in the country, according to the Dance Data Project.

“There is a serious lack of women creating ballet,” Seiwert said. “There’s starting to be a shift in that dynamic. I don’t think it’s because women can’t choreograph ballet, it usually has to do with opportunity.”

In the second year of producing Seiwert’s version of The Nutcracker, Sacramento Ballet has over 22 professional dancers in residence and will feature them in the show, as well as approximately 100 children per performance, according to Seiwert.

The Nutcracker opens Thursday, Dec. 12 and runs through Dec. 22. This year’s productions is held at Memorial Auditorium while Sacramento Ballet’s normal theater is under renovation. Scheduling and tickets for The Nutcracker are available at Sacramento Ballet’s website.

Twitter: @kameronschmid

This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 5:00 AM.