Since its premiere in December 1892, The Nutcracker has become a holiday staple, as closely associated with Christmas as are poinsettias, silver tinsel, and mistletoe.
Who could forget the clockwork movements of the doll, or the battle with the Mouse King, or the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy? Or, for that matter, the directionally-challenged stripper who winds up at a wild holiday party?
What’s that? You don’t remember the stripper? Then you must not be familiar with Cracked Nuts. Let’s start with the basics: put on by Deos Ballet, it’s onstage December 6th and 7th at the Cultural Center at St. Nicholas. And it’s adults-only (my 16-year-old niece, forbidden the purchase of a fake ID, was foiled).
In this version of the classic story, Clara’s an office manager at Stahlbaum Incorporated (Stahlbaum was Clara’s last name in the original version). She’s carefully planned the perfect Christmas party for the team. But the best-laid plans of mice king and men so often go astray. It’s not that no one shows up; HR, accounting, maintenance, and more appear. But so does Sugar, an uninvited guest whose skills extend more toward exotic dancing than following directions; she’s arrived at the wrong building.
Easy enough to deal with, you might say: send her off, let her shimmy elsewhere. But there’s snow. A lot of it. Enough to prevent anyone from leaving. What to do but drink? So that’s what they do, until they’re down to the last bottle of liquor. That could spell trouble, but resourceful Sugar has an idea: a dance-off. Oh boy, you can imagine the HR folks thinking. This is going to be interesting.
“This isn’t your mother’s Nutcracker,” said Tess Sinke, artistic director of Deos. In many ways, it’s intended to feel like the opposite of the cultural image of ballet: it’s funny, accessible, and bawdy—although not too bawdy. Sinke compares it to a PG-13 film, pointing out that there’s no nudity or obscenity, and that, during previous performances, no one’s walked out. Not even her parents. “No one’s shocked or dismayed,” she said. “We wanted to hit the right mix for West Michigan.”
Deos Ballet was formed in 2018 as a summer-only professional company, providing paid work to dancers laid off for the season by other companies. Three years ago, it became a year-round professional company, providing employment for six dancers, an impressive feat in an age in which making a living as a dancer can be very challenging.
Had Deos attempted to be another white tutu ballet company, it might have found that there wasn’t a need for one. Instead, it focused on more contemporary storytelling, looking to engage audience members through compelling, relatable performances, often centering women’s perspectives. In October of this year, they performed Jane Eyre, retelling that much-loved story through narration, music, and dance.
Audience members looking for a classic, family-friendly staging of The Nutcracker have many to choose from, including Grand Rapids Ballet’s annual production. Deos is aiming at a different audience, one generally younger and newer to exploring the arts. And it’s working: last year, Cracked Nuts sold out both nights. That only happens if people are expecting to have a great time. That may not be the only driver; some people want to contribute to the sustainment of an art form, while others are supportive of a local organization that pays dancers fairly, including health care. Still, if someone takes the time to find a babysitter and go out for the evening, it’s because she knows she’ll enjoy herself.
Comedy’s a serious business, and comedic ballets are no exception. The dancers work with an acting coach, learning how to convey emotion and characterization while maintaining the rigors of classical ballet. “Our dancers’ acting abilities are above and beyond,” Sinke said. It helps that the story’s funny. Sinke described the creation of the story as a series of what ifs: what if this happens, then this? And what if this guy’s really into someone from HR?
It also helps that everyone’s dancing to wonderful music (the show uses Tchaikovsky’s original score), providing notes and beats to anchor the physical comedy. It’s music that nearly everyone knows, but that they’ve never seen used like this.
In creating work that even people unfamiliar with ballet can love, Sinke is hoping to erase some of the elitism associated with ballet. They’ve managed to keep prices reasonable, although the price for Cracked Nuts is a little higher than their average show; then again, it comes with a drink ticket.
Audience members may leave with a new or renewed appreciation for the difficult and beautiful art of ballet; perhaps some of them will purchase tickets to Deos’s upcoming Rite of Spring (“The ballet that started a riot”). Regardless, everyone should come away warm, happy, and grateful, exactly as you’d hope to feel around the holidays.
Cracked Nuts
Deos Ballet
2250 E. Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids
Dec. 6-7
deosballet.com
