MARIUS Petipa must have been crest-fallen when he felt unwell shortly before The Nutcracker’s rehearsals at the Mariinsky Theatre studios in Russia. He had devoted much time to artfully moulding the musical template, scene by scene, with Tchaikovsky, only to have to hand over the choreographic reigns to his deputy, Lev Ivanov. It was 1892, and The Nutcracker premiered to mixed reviews.
As an avid collector of ballet literature, I happened upon these facts while sentimentally browsing an old Royal Ballet program, with a wonderfully written article on The Nutcracker by dance historian, Roland Wiley. Since the age of 11, I have been involved with five reinterpretations of Petipa/Ivanov’s Christmas classic: first as Fritz, later as the Prince, and now with
