Howard and her husband decided they would skip attending The Nutcracker as a family and gave away her comp tickets. And the Four Seasons Centre is limiting the number of people allowed backstage. Same-day COVID-19 tests are required for unvaccinated children to attend (although discounted youth tickets are available). Howard will perform throughout the 22-day run, but there will be no baby mice or lambs, roles typically played by children under 12. In past years, her husband sometimes brought food to the green room so the family could eat dinner together preshow. And her son Benjamin, 9, loves touring the catwalks to see the machines that sprinkle faux snow onto the stage.
Her daughter Lia, now 12, has performed in the production as a marzipan lamb. Since her 2007 promotion to first soloist, she’s danced many of its leading roles, including the Snow Queen and the bee in the Waltz of the Flowers. The Nutcracker has long been a family affair for the National Ballet’s Tanya Howard. Karolina Kuras/Courtesy of National Ballet of Canada National Ballet of Canada Toronto Here’s a look at how three companies are navigating changes so the December tradition can continue.ĭiscounted youth tickets to the Nutcracker are available, but unvaccinated children will need same-day COVID-19 tests to attend. There is so much financial dependence on The Nutcracker, researcher Shakira Segundo wrote, “that the pressure to remain profitable and relevant is now more imperative than ever.” From 2008 to 2019, total performances of the holiday favourite increased by roughly 30 per cent in the United States and Canada, and ticket prices doubled. According to Dance/USA, a service organization that includes Canadian members, The Nutcracker accounts for 48 per cent of the average company’s annual ticket sales. Many productions are creatively navigating all of these shifts by axing entire scenes, introducing new choreography or both.īallet companies have a lot riding on these 2021 holiday performances. Also in play: A global push to address racial stereotypes in ballet, such as the potentially problematic “Arabian” and “Chinese” dances in The Nutcracker’s second act. Since COVID-19 vaccinations were not available to Canadians under 12 when rehearsals began, few young performers are participating this year. Uncle Drosselmeyer won’t be wearing an N95 mask, but the pandemic and accompanying societal shifts are affecting how the show must go on.Įver since North American companies began staging versions of The Nutcracker in the 1940s, many supporting roles have been played by children. And while the core story remains the same – after a raucous holiday party, a young girl is whisked off to a magical land by her new nutcracker doll, who is revealed to be a prince – many companies have altered their productions. Tchaikovsky’s beloved The Nutcracker is back at ballet companies across the country after COVID-19 restrictions cancelled nearly two years of live dance performances. The Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier are done with social distancing.
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