Cover Story: Battle of the Nutcrackers

You've seen the billboards splashed across metro Atlanta: "My Nutcracker Can Beat Up Your Nutcracker." You've heard the pundits on local newscasts arguing over who has the Biggest Snow Machine, the Fastest Sugar Plum Fairy, the Most Little Kids Crammed Into the Party Scene in Act One.
The annual Battle of the Nutcrackers has begun.
And it's gone on for decades, dividing families, audiences and even cast members. The most famous incident of accidental "friendly fire" occurred some years ago during an Atlanta Ballet production at the Fox, when one of the Rats, caught up in the frenzy, took an overly enthusiastic grande jete, plummeting head first into the orchestra pit and breaking the neck — of a cello.
Rats one, orchestra zip.
Since then, it's been a war of press releases, with each company claiming to have the real, authentic version — or at least the most kid-friendly. And with more than 300 national Nutcrackers listed on the Internet this season, you get the feeling that roughly half of these are Atlanta productions.
Ballethnic director Waverly Lucas has already produced his funky Urban Nutcracker this year, set in Auburn Avenue in the 1940s. "Everyone speaks of uptown Harlem and the Cotton Club, but Auburn Avenue was the richest black area in the country, and the richness of this street captivated me," explains Lucas. As Big Mama tells the story to her granddaughter, the party scene unfolds. "And when black people party, we party," says Lucas. "It becomes a real shindig on stage, and things happen, like drinking too much, flirtations ... We have Reggae Ragdolls, a Brown Sugar Fairy instead of a Sugar Plum Fairy and a Chocolatier instead of a Cavalier. The Soldiers tap dance because that's a strong part of black culture, and our Nutcracker Doll is based on Marcus Garvey, who led a back-to-Africa movement in the 1940s."
Yet Lucas insists that his Urban Nutcracker is recognizable. "I use the original Petipa choreography and add nuances from my own culture. It's not just for the black community. This Nutcracker was born in and inspired by Atlanta. That's the beauty of it."
Now in its 44th season, The Ruth Mitchell Dance Studio continues to do a traditional Nutcracker "geared to the suburban audience," according to company member Shelley Grames. Featuring 180 cast members, the principal roles are danced by professionals and flanked by children — the youngest of whom is six years old.
And speaking of children, just what are they supposed to be doing onstage anyway?
Plenty, if they belong to the Rotaru International Children's Ballet, which allows its professionally trained students to dance the major roles. "In most companies the students have bit parts because they're not qualified," says company manager Elwynne Rotaru. "This is like going to the symphony and seeing a 12-year-old violinist performing at the level of a professional. In our production there's a whole stage full of them. Pavel Rotaru's choreography is challenging to any dancer, and some of ours are only 12 years old!"
Some Nutcracker children have gone on to make it big. "My first Clara was Stephanie Michels, who is now starring on Broadway in Contact," says Georgia Ballet Theatre director Iris Hensley, whose company uses professional dancers rather than students for the principal roles. "I feel a personal commitment to do it as a professional ensemble rather than a ballet school production," adds Hensley.
"When Nutcracker debuted more than 100 years ago, it was a big flop," says Catherine Guin of The Atlanta Ballet. "It wasn't a hit until George Balanchine did it in New York in the 1950s. The Balanchine version had children in Act One, and that's one of the things that transformed it into an American tradition.
"For many years the Atlanta Ballet produced the Balanchine version, which no one else was allowed to perform," adds Guin. "The current version by director John McFall still has the beautiful dances but also has a strong element towards children. We have kids in the party scene doing kid stuff so that children in the audience can identify with them."
The Atlanta Ballet has created a few of its own traditions such as the Pink Ballerina Pig in a tutu on Rollerblades. And how about a 15-foot-tall Matrouska Doll dancing in drag?
It may not be Balanchine anymore, but some traditional elements remain. "There is a very clear difference between our Nutcracker all the others," insists Guin. "This is very much a 19th-century Russian version. And it's reflective of John McFall, whose mother emigrated from Russia."
But only Rotaru can lay claim to possession of authentic contraband costumes. "They were made by artisans at the Bucharest Opera,"says Elwynne Rotaru, "and the Romanian government determined that they were art objects and therefore not allowed to leave the country. We had sold 25,000 tickets at the Fox Theater and our costumes were still in Romania. When the Minister of Finance finally released them they arrived just days before opening night. I was having fantasies about plucking feathers from our Swan Lake costumes!"
So now to the important question: Who makes the best snow?
The Atlanta Ballet makes the most, averaging 20 pounds of the white stuff per performance. This in-house snowfall is a recent addition and a huge hit with the audiences. "Our snow machines are permanently installed — they're here to stay," says Guin.
"Well, we have real ice coming down," jokes Iris Hensley. "Don't get too close to the stage or you'll freeze to death!"
And finally, waving the white flag in this balletic battleground is Decatur's Vista Grove Dance Centre. "Everybody and their brother is doing Nutcracker," says director Coby Richardson. "We're doing Christmas With Hans Christian Andersen this year."
Nutcracker performances are as follows: The Atlanta Ballet: Dec. 1-24 at the Fox Theatre. Show times vary. $20-$50. 404-817-8700. The Georgia Ballet Theatre: Dec. 15 at 8 p.m., Dec. 16 at 3 and 8 p.m. and Dec. 17 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. $18-$24. Anderson Theatre, Cobb Civic Center, 584 Marietta Pkwy. 770-425-0258. The Ruth Mitchell Dance Studio: Nov. 24-26 at 2 and 7p.m. $10-$15. Anderson Theatre, Cobb Civic Center. 770-426-0007. Rotaru International Children's Ballet: Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 16 at 3 p.m., and Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. $25-$45. Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, corner of Forsyth and Luckie Streets. 404-651-4727. The Vista Grove Dance Centre performs Christmas with Hans Christian Andersen Dec. 14-15 at 7:30 p.m. Berkmar High School, 405 Pleasant Hill Road. $10. 404-633-2144.