Winter Wonderland
The snow scene is one of the simplest sections of
The Nutcracker: There are no oversized mice or waltzing flowers, just a corps of women in white tutus and a principal couple—usually. And yet those 11 minutes of the ballet are often the most magical. Tchaikovsky’s dreamy music transports us into the chilly midnight December air. Dancers flit, flutter, and swirl as if blown by the wind. A blanket of white floats—and sometimes pours—down from above as Clara travels from the real world to a fantastical one. Every company does the scene in its own unique way—some even dispensing with the tutus altogether. Here’s a peek inside some of our favorite snow scenes from around the world.
Finnish National Ballet, with choreography by Wayne Eagling
Photo by Sakari Vilka, courtesy Finnish National Ballet
New York City Ballet, choreography © The Balanchine Trust
Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy NYCB
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, choreography by Terrence Orr
Photo by Rich Sofranko, courtesy PBT
Ballet San Jose, choreography by Dennis Nahat
Photo by John Gerbetz, courtesy BSJ
Cincinnati Ballet, choreography by Val Caniparoli
Photo by Peter Mueller, courtesy CB
Festival Ballet Providence
Photo by Thomas Nola-Rion, courtesy FBP
Ballet Arizona, choreography by Ib Andersen
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy BA
Luciana Voltolini of Boston Ballet
Photo by Gene Schiavone, courtesy BB
Washington Ballet, choreography by Septime Webre
Photo by Carol Pratt, courtesy TWB
Paris Oper Ballet in Rudolf Nureyev’s Casse-Noisette
Photo by Sebastien Mathe, courtesy POB
Megan Quiroz and Thomas Nicholas of the Joffrey Ballet
Photo by Herbert Migdoll, courtesy Joffrey
Mark Morris Dance Group in The Hard Nut
Photo by Peter Da Silva, courtesy MMDG
Urban Ballet Theater’s Nutcracker in the Lower, by Daniel Catanach
Photo by Geoffrey Tischman, courtesy UBT
