In December 1963, famed prima ballerina Maria Tallchief returned to her home state of Oklahoma to perform one of her signature roles: the Sugar Plum Fairy in “The Nutcracker.”
Tallchief’s performance with what was then known as the new Oklahoma City Civic Ballet — under the artistic direction of fellow trailblazing Oklahoma Native American dancer Yvonne Chouteau and her husband, Miguel Terekhov — at what’s now Civic Center Music Hall was more than just a holiday treat for OKC.
The yuletide appearance by Tallchief — currently immortalized on a recently released U.S. quarter — laid the groundwork for what’s now the Oklahoma City Ballet and established the community’s lasting love for “The Nutcracker.”
“‘The Nutcracker’ is a cherished holiday tradition for families from across Oklahoma,” said OKC Ballet Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye. “While there have been as many interpretations of ‘The Nutcracker’ as there have been performances, there’s really a familiarity and a sense of coming home each year when a company gets to present ‘The Nutcracker.’”
As OKC Ballet leaps into its 60th anniversary production of “The Nutcracker,” it’s one of at least five opportunities in the metro area to catch the holiday classic this season, with other local companies presenting hip-hop and Sooner State-specific versions of the Christmas staple.
Here’s when and where you can see “The Nutcracker” in the OKC area this year:
OKC Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’
With: Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices.
When: Dec. 8-18.
Where: Civic Center, 201 N Walker, downtown OKC.
Tickets: www.okcballet.org.
Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, “The Nutcracker” premiered in 1892 at the Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Powered by Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s now-legendary score and adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” it wasn’t initially a success.
“‘The Nutcracker’ didn’t really catch ground until George Balanchine made his on the New York City Ballet — and that was a total hit. That was really the beginning of … ‘The Nutcracker’ around the holiday season, around family, around tradition,” Jolicoeur-Nye told The Oklahoman.
When Balanchine’s version of the then-obscure ballet premiered in 1954, it was Tallchief — the Osage prima ballerina considered the most famous of Oklahoma’s Five Moons Native American dancers who rose to the top of the ballet world in the 20th century — who helped transform “The Nutcracker” into an annual Christmas favorite with her plum performance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Jolicoeur-Nye debuted last year his take on OKC Ballet’s classic version of the yuletide mainstay, featuring the Snow King and Queen, the Dew Drop Fairy and a mischief of baby mice.
OKC Ballet’s 2023 run of the “The Nutcracker” again will be accompanied by the OKC Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices, who will perform Tchaikovsky’s treasured score live.
The professional dance company also is teaming again with AutismOklahoma to present a sensory-friendly performance of “The Nutcracker” at 6 p.m. Dec 18 at the Civic Center.
Plus, dance devotees can enjoy tasty treats, a special performance and craft activities at the family-friendly fundraiser the Nutcracker Tea from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 16 in the Civic Center’s Meinders Hall of Mirrors.
Central Oklahoma Ballet Company’s ‘The Nutcracker’
With: Oklahoma Community Orchestra.
When: Dec. 2-3.
Where: Yukon Fine Arts Center, 850 Yukon Ave., Yukon.
Tickets:www.centralokballet.org.
The Central Oklahoma Ballet Company annually follows “The Nutcracker” heroine Clara on her enchanted journey to the Land of the Sweets with its production of the traditional Christmas classic.
The Yukon production features professional guest artists and local performers, accompanied by the Oklahoma Community Orchestra.
‘RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 8-10.
Where: Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater, 7777 S May Ave.
Tickets:https://www.racedance.com.
For the 11th year, RACE Dance Collective — a professional OKC hip-hop, contemporary and jazz dance company — is bringing back its original reimagining of the seasonal favorite.
“We were really mindful the first year of creating something that could be a tradition, which is why we leaned into the idea of ‘The Nutcracker,’ because families will go,” said Hui Cha Poos, founder of RACE Dance Collective and creator of its signature yuletide show.
“It’s such a solid show within the community. … The second we finish a ‘Nutcracker,’ they’re already talking about next year’s ‘Nutcracker.’ It’s just something people look forward to.”
“RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker” follows Carlos, the teenage son of a single mother, as he imagines what it would be like to have a father and embarks on a journey of self-discovery featuring magic dolls, battling robots and Snowfly fairies.
Each year, RACE Dance members spend weeks working with local public school students who then perform in the yuletide production. This year, teens from five Oklahoma City Public Schools are performing in “RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker,” and all of them will receive new shoes to wear in the show and then keep through RACE’s Giving Soles program.
The 7 p.m. Dec. 9 performance will be presented with Spanish-language narration.
“It’s a family-friendly show but with lessons and with reminders about the holidays and what’s important during the holidays throughout — and those messages are for everyone,” said Poos, who directs RACE Dance Academy.
“I feel like we did a really good job with the storytelling of including the parts in the community and the people in the community who often get forgotten. We were really inclusive, so everyone … feels seen or represented in some way.”
Norman Ballet Company’s ‘The Oklahoma Nutcracker’
When: Dec. 2-3.
Where: Nancy O’Brian Center for the Performing Arts, 1809 Stubbeman Ave., Norman.
Tickets: www.facebook.com/normanballetcompany and www.ticketstorm.com.
Since 2002, the Norman Ballet Company has presented this local family favorite, which intertwines Oklahoma history and themes of nature with the traditional storyline and musical score of the original “The Nutcracker.”
Set on Christmas Eve in 1907 at OKC’s Overholser Mansion, “The Oklahoma Nutcracker” includes the Sand Plum Fairy, a rose rock throne, the Oklahoma Prairie and more Sooner State references.
Alexa Maxwell and Jovani Furlan from the New York City Ballet are the guest artists for this year’s production.
Plus, the Sand Plum Fairy Tea Party returns at 1 p.m. Dec. 3, with the famed fairy, other special guests, children’s activities and refreshments.
‘Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet’
When: Dec. 7.
Where: Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center, 6000 S Prosper Blvd., Midwest City.
Tickets:www.okcciviccenter.com/event-calendar/get-tickets or www.nutcracker.com.
Produced by Talmi Entertainment, the long-running touring production features a multinational cast of 40 professional performers, including principal dancers from the great opera houses of Ukraine and artists from Japan, Italy, Turkey and more.
This year’s touring production introduces a fresh character and innovative new choreography that blends classical ballet with contemporary circus techniques, including an artist who uses a Cyr wheel, a large steel ring a performer stands in while doing acrobatic feats.