General

Our season opens in December with The Nutcracker, a time-honored tradition in ballet companies worldwide. Classical ballet has built its foundation on storytelling for centuries, because it reflects a universal human experience. Stories connect us across age, race, culture, religion, and gender. Through storytelling, we unite, and the narratives we tell convey our significance.

But why do we keep telling the same story? The original tale of The Nutcracker, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” follows a young girl named Clara (or Marie, in some versions) who receives a wooden nutcracker doll as a Christmas gift. On Christmas Eve, the Nutcracker comes to life and, with Clara’s help, battles the evil Mouse King and his army of mice. After the battle, the Nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince and takes Clara on a magical journey to the Land of Sweets, where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and entertained by dancers from various countries. The story often ends with Clara returning home, suggesting it was all a dream.

Over the years, this ballet has taken many forms. For instance, the Joffrey Ballet’s reimagined Nutcracker places the story in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair, focusing on a young immigrant girl’s journey. Similarly, Donald Byrd’s The Harlem Nutcracker sets the ballet in 1920s Harlem, blending classical ballet with jazz and swing, and celebrating African American culture during the Harlem Renaissance.

Dance styles have also varied—Mark Morris’ The Hard Nut transports the story to a suburban 1970s setting with modern dance and a playful, satirical tone, while Jennifer Weber’s Hip Hop Nutcracker places the ballet in a contemporary urban landscape, using hip hop dance styles to retell the classic tale. Another striking version is Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker!, which begins in a grim orphanage before transitioning to a surreal, candy-colored dreamland, offering a quirky, modern twist on the traditional ballet.

While some may prefer traditional versions, fearing that changes dishonor the art form, I believe innovation and reinterpretation are what keep classical ballet relevant. In recent history, ballet has been accused of becoming irrelevant and inaccessible, but as curators of this art, we have a responsibility to respond with creativity.

At Metamorphosis, we’ve experimented with The Nutcracker by putting our own twist on it in a few ways. Our first attempt, Suite Dreams, incorporated the traditional Act 2 “Land of the Sweets” variations but ended with Clara being transported to a modern-day party in her dream. We introduced characters like “wallflowers,” “audiophiles,” and the “spicy” friends who liven up any gathering. A few years later, we reversed the story: starting with the party scene, featuring the same characters, and ending with a traditional Act 2. Over time, our version has continued to evolve, and now we’ve arrived at a version that uses the original ballet score while correcting problematic themes we felt responsible to address.

In our production, Clara is a young adult eager to experience the world. With guidance from her aunt, her dream is realized as she travels to different countries, just as in the traditional ballet. However, instead of perpetuating stereotypes through movement and costumes, we’ve taken creative license to honor and respect the cultures of these countries by drawing on their authentic histories. We hope to connect our audience with the universal theme of finding purpose and taking the necessary steps to achieve one’s dreams, as Clara does when she sets out to explore the world with her sister. Additionally, we explore relatable family dynamics, including parental disapproval, sibling bonds, and the tension that exists in many families. But most importantly, we love to tell stories of redemption and reconciliation. The Nutcracker is not the only ballet where you’ll see us making artistic choices that emphasize hope.

Come experience it for yourself on December 6-7 at the Penfold Theater in Round Rock. Click here to secure your tickets, and we’ll see you at the show!