Christmas is around the corner, and if you are a Ballet enthusiast like me, you probably know that The Nutcracker recital has come to almost every city around the world.
If you need to become more familiar with it, then let us introduce you. The Nutcracker is an old but beautiful ballet performed each year and full of capturing stories about magic land. It was set on a Christmas Eve by Tchaikovsky, with legendary Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov as the choreographers, and is an adaptation from E.T.A Hoffman’s story.
This classical ballet has many dance pieces from different cultures, like Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Arabian. “The Arabian” dance in The Nutcracker is what this article will concentrate on today. It is an intriguing and elaborate scene inside this whole ballet and opens the audience up to different cultures, through the various the dance styles.
As someone experienced in both ballet and Arabian dance, today I hope to demystify this dance in the Nutcracker a little, as well as how all of these elements influence audiences and viewers.
A version of The Nutcracker dance by the City Ballet Academy. See an alternative interpretation here by the Boston Ballet. Both lack some of the elements originally true to the performances of years past.
The Westernization
The Nutcracker was first introduced in 1892 at the Maryinsky theatre in St Petersburg. Through the ages, this ballet experienced various choreographic transformations in response to the evolving audience’s taste. “Arabian” dance, a passage of the second act, is probably the most famous one.
The notion of orientalism in discussions regarding the dance is the Western view (specifically the British, French, and Americans) – a animated version of the Middle East:
“a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiences” (French Journalist 1975).
Its an image that originally held of the Middle East—a romanticized land inhabited by people who seem different to the typical Westerner in a seemingly eerie setting. Similar to the Orientalist dichotomies, this fictionalized Orient creates one homogeneous identity type characterized by its essence. “Arabian” dance comes as an interpretation of some exotic aspects of Middle Eastern culture but in the style of Western performance.
Editors note: It’s worth saying at this point that what is being described are ‘original views’ of a western society from around 130 years ago, at a time when the Nutcracker was first released and society was less global in its outlook. Today ballet companies are adjusting these particular Acts in the Nutcracker to reflect a more modern, inclusive audience.
Choreographic Variations
The Arabian dance has many variations, some of them have “Egyptians Marilyn Monroes” in pointé, some other focus on the “sultan and harem” scene, portraying a stereotype of lazy men and eager to please women. For example, the typical portrayal of the male forms the foundation of another comedic harem storyline of this ballet. This narrative was a recurring feature in the Louisville Ballet’s Nutcracker for many years.
It depicted a turbaned man adorned in harem pants and a sparkling vest, accompanied by a woman who, while potentially his wife, assumed the role of his servant. The man ostentatiously sipped coffee while the woman dutifully trailed him, replenishing his cup as necessary. She also engaged in acrobatic feats, such as supporting his cup on her extended foot as she lay on the floor or on her bare stomach during a backbend, effectively transforming herself into a makeshift table. We were trying to find a video of this somewhere but are struggling, if you come across one, please share with us.
Nonetheless, some other versions have a regal look, or an enigmatically cerebral air. The choreography of the Arabian dance has a “vocabulary” of difference, with movements that feature supine postures and angled limbs that have been part of the orientalization of ballet since the nineteenth-century Romanticism period, when the fantasies of fancy harems where the trend. Of course, much of what was originally featured is less inclusive for todays modern audiences and hence ballet companies moving their choreography on.
Interestingly, there is not a single form for what is called the Arabian dance. It has been reworked by different choreographers since it premiered and some of these do go against the normal conventions. Slow-moving and dreamy dances choreographed differently are typical for these sections. Balanchine decided to work it differently, with uncharacteristic briskness that challenges the norms of this specific dance piece.
The movements… are they really Arabian?
Even with the many differences, the traditional version usually comprises unique steps that have been persisted through various productions of The Nutcracker. These include distinctive “Egyptian” angled arms, resembling images painted on the old Egyptian vessels. Also, a deliberate slow walking style that has dipping or bobbing motions trace back to the bharata natyam, which roots to ritualistic ambiances.
The “prayer” gesture that involves palms being joined together on the chest or above the head seems more aligned with the dance forms from India other than those of Arabian origin. The lack of precision in the use of “Arabian” is evident within Clara’s dream world and, indeed, in the broader Western context.
Musical Accompaniment and Emotional Impact
To craft the “sweet and enchanting” music requested by Petipa for the “Arabian” dance, Tchaikovsky initiated the composition by incorporating an aged Georgian lullaby, infusing it with a gentle yet persistent rhythmic motif. The outcome conveys an ambiance often described by musicologists, without apparent controversy, as “Eastern languor.”
However, the music’s background is quite intriguing. The lullabies of Georgian origin, which have been sung to cure sick children through history, give earthiness to the dance and create a magical mood. There is no doubt about the relationship between the music and the emotional effect of the dance, which has an additional depth to the overall experience.
This further reiterates that the Arabian Dance elicits emotions from audiences. In essence, for many, the dance represents the mystical world into which people are temporarily transported; hence the ability to mesmerize the audience. The link to healing traditions as well as the earthly aspects of the songs give another touch of interest for the audience interaction with the performance.
In short…
The Arabian dance in The Nutcracker is an intricate exploration of cultural performance and choreographic creativity within ballet. As an ever-changing art form, it goes beyond any set definition and contains different choreography that ranges from traditional representations to mysterious rituals. The evolving nature of this dance challenges conventional norms.
In essence, this dance piece serves as a poignant illustration of how artistic interpretations can shape and, at times, misrepresent cultural traditions. It compels one to think about the continuous Western practice of romanticism and Orientalizing the East, which is now requiring a more true to life representation of different cultural articulations in the realm of ballet. This of course all changes over time and so does ballet, to reflect new societal norms.
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