A new Nutcracker erases Russia and spotlights Ukraine
balletFrom Cleveland.com:
…“The Nutcracker” has inspired many choreographers, including Cleveland Ballet’s artistic director Gladisa Guadalupe. Guadalupe has staged the show with some twists to the production.
Most notably, she has taken Russia out of the story, given the current state of world affairs. Instead of the original Herr Stahlbaum with children Clara, and Fritz, Guadalupe swapped the character names to those of Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly. The father is Herr Grimaldi and the children are Caroline and Albert.
In the second act, those familiar with the original story will see that Guadalupe has recast the Russian dancers as Ukrainian dancers. “I don’t want to celebrate Russia in this moment because I don’t agree with what a man is doing to the entire country and the world,” she says. “So I’m changing the costumes and the name. I have nothing against the story of Nutcracker or the music by Tchaikovsky.”…
Read on here.
Shameless racist.
Just another director/producer trying to put their own twist on an established story. Some will approve and others won’t. I think this says more about the producer than it does about The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky has nothing to do with Putin and his ‘military exercise’.
I mean – she’s aware that the characters of The Nutcracker are German and that it’s set in early 19th century Berlin? That Clara, Fritz and Stahlbaum are all German names, not Russian?
She knows that, right?
Well that’s going to sort out those pesky Russkies!
There’s not much of a culture shock between Russian and Ukrainian dancers. Doesn’t she know Russia and Ukraine share similar cultures with regional differences?
You all , of course, realize that what is happening in Ukraine now is a direct result of music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and their ilk. Cancelling them and mutilating their art is a sure way to put things right again. Yet another complex manifestation of idiocy.
What? Fritz is not even a Russian name. Before she starts judging an entire people on one madman’s actions, she could learn something about that culture. The original name for the Nazi’s invasion of the Soviet Union was Operation Fritz. Later the name was changed to Operation Barbarossa. 27,000,000 million Soviets lost their lives in WWII. Among those who died were 7,000,000 to 13,000,000 million Ukrainians. Some historians estimate that 30 percent of Ukraine’s population perished in WWII. To say Fritz is a Russian name shows how little she knows about the history of that part of the world.
The the figure of Soviet casualties include the millions liquidated by the Communist regime ?
Music can be political, but Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker? Never. I believe it is this woman who is the political agent here.
Erase Russia from the Nutcracker? This is nonsense. Culture has nothing to do with politics… Erase Chejov? Erase Bulgakov? Erase Thaikovski is erasing ballet, and then erase Nijinsky, Pavlova, Osipova, Polunnin,Vadim Muntagirov, Olga Smirnova,Ebvgenia Obrazstosva, Diana Vishneva, Daniil Simkim, y Maya Plisetskaya y Goudunov, Misha Barisnikov… Buff This makes non sense please be smart.
Cleveland, OH has a professional ballet company?
Why wouldn’t it? Many cities in the U.S. do, my hometown of Milwaukee included. They just aren’t full-time.
Congrats, Gladisa Gaudalupe : renaming Clara and Fritz, you definitely… de-germanized Nutcracker. Brilliant. Are you only aware that Nutcracker takes place in Germany, with german characters ? De-russianizing Nutcracker requires to erase Tchaïkovsky’s score. Which is just one more stupid attempt of cancel culture. If you décidé to de-russianize ballet, well just erase Tchaïkovsky, Diaghilev, Pavlova, Nijinsky brother and sister, Bakst, Stravinsky, Massine, Karsavina, Spessivtseva, Vaganiva… Even politically stupid, as it gives arguments to Vladolf Putler when he speaks of western hatered against Russia. And it suggests that Russia is Putin and Putin is Russia.
Ms. Guadalupe ist just an ignoramus : The story on which the ballet is based is by a German, the ballet scenario is by French choreographer in Imperial Russia….