For Immediate Release November 29, 1999
MEDIA CONTACT: Holly Foster, (315) 859-4068, or [email protected]
What would Christmas be without The Nutcracker?
Taking the family to see The Nutcracker has become a winter ritual for thousands of people in the United States, but this wasn't always the case. Catherine Gunther Kodat, a former dance critic now teaching English at Hamilton College, says that The Nutcracker emerged as a national holiday "tradition" only in the 1950s, largely thanks to the efforts of George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein of the New York City Ballet. It was their efforts that created a broad-based appeal for ballet in a country that appeared to have little use for what looked like a suspiciously Russian art form. The Nutcracker had actually been a flop back when it was first performed in the imperial theaters of Russia in 1892.
The huge success of The New York City Ballet's 1954 production of The Nutcracker ensured the financial future of City Ballet and helped usher in a new era of government support for the arts as a cultural front of the Cold War. Today, The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday tradition, with performances held throughout the United States by everyone from local dance studios to major, professional dance troupes.
Catherine Gunther Kodat is assistant professor of English and American studies at Hamilton College. Formerly a dance critic and metro desk reporter for the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore correspondent for Dance Magazine, Kodat's research interests include 20th century American ballet and modern dance. She is currently writing a book about culture during the Cold War.
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