Last Updated on December 4, 2022, 7:14 AM | Published: December 4, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY – Few holiday traditions in OKC are as time-honored and beloved as Oklahoma City Ballet’s annual production of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” the ceaselessly successful story of dreams, magic, and romance in wintertime that continues to delight year after year.
For practically any major city nationwide (perhaps worldwide) with a working ballet company, the December performances of “The Nutcracker” are a community staple, bringing out dance-loving families, committed patrons, and countless ballet newcomers.
Oklahoma City is no different.
This year’s production, starting December 10, is looking to be especially noteworthy, as audiences can expect more shows, more characters, all-new choreography, and a particularly special “sensory-friendly” performance for the first time ever in the city.
New Vision
Much of the spike already seen in both interest and ticket sales this year is due largely to a fully re-imagined take on the classic ballet’s cast, characters, and most of all, its choreography, all thanks to OKC Ballet’s new Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye.
Having taken over as Acting Artistic Director in January of this year before securing the official position just this past October, this is Jolicoeur-Nye’s first time overseeing “The Nutcracker” in OKC, and he is poised to show fans an exciting new vision.
“It’s just a whole new artistic direction, and Ryan is doing some really fun things,” said OKC Ballet Communications Director Whitney Cross. “Like the Drosselmeyer character will be more of a continuous character throughout the show, and he provides a lot of humor actually. From what I’ve seen so far, there are a lot of funny bits that I think are really cute. You know you can still laugh at ballet!”
New Characters
Part of Jolicoeur-Nye’s new vision for the show includes adding in some “new” characters that “Nutcracker” die-hards might be familiar with, but audiences of OKC’s previous fan-favorite production might not recognize.
“There’s going to be a Snow King and Queen and there’s going to be a Dewdrop Fairy,” Cross explained. “And these are all very traditional characters, they just haven’t been in ours.”
Some inclusions are all-new, however, but no less emotionally rousing and beautiful.
“There’s actually a young girl named Olivia whose mom reached out to me,” Cross said. “She has a terminal illness, but her dream is to be in ‘The Nutcracker,’ so Ryan actually created a role for her. The character’s name is Marie, and she’ll be in a vintage wheelchair in the party scene in the beginning. They even have a special doll that the Drosselmeyer character will give to her. So that’s something different and special that we’re doing, and I think making a little girl very happy.”
Sensory-Friendly
One of the most important new additions to this year’s production is the inclusion of OKC Ballet’s first-ever “sensory-friendly” performance.
On Thursday, December 15th, OKC Ballet will be partnering with AutismOklahoma to present a performance tailored to children and adults with conditions or needs that benefit from quieter music, relaxed lighting, and the absence of unexpected loud noises and pyrotechnics.
“We have a fantastic community engagement director that has done a lot of research, and the Civic Center staff and volunteers are pretty well-trained in it as well,” Cross told me. “When I talked to the dancers at the beginning of the season about this performance, they were so excited. Some have done these kinds of performances in the past, so they have so much great insight.”
‘Bread and butter‘
“The Nutcracker” is not only a holiday tradition because audiences love and demand it, it’s also something of a financial necessity for ballet companies, many of which bank so reliably on the production that it’s the only show for which they own the costumes and sets outright.
“For most ballet companies, ’Nutcracker’ is our bread and butter,” said Cross. “The sales are just incredible. Last year, we broke a new record, but we’re trending to well surpass that this year, which we really need after the last few years to kind of make up for some of those losses.”
Judging by the grace and beauty on display at Thursday’s open rehearsal – during which Jolicoeur-Nye gave guests a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s surprisingly positive, collaborative working methods – this new production is bound to be a major success, and quickly become an OKC favorite for years to come.
OKC Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” runs December 10th through the 18th at Civic Center Music Hall.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information about the sensory-friendly performance, visit okcballet.org.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
