What's So Great About The Nutcracker?

When it first premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, the Nutcracker was a colossal flop. It’s easy to see why. Loosely based on an 1816 novella in which an old man gives his goddaughter a doll that comes to life and wages war, the ballet limps through an uneven narrative sprinkled with vague stakes, milquetoast heroes, and culturally insensitive motifs.

And yet The Nutcracker is now an unshakeable holiday tradition. The ballet (first performed in the United States by San Francisco Ballet in 1944) marks a rite of passage for dancers, a financial lifeline for dance companies, and an annual tradition for audiences. Versions vary from waltzing flowers to Sugar Plums who tap, skate, stomp, shimmy, and even pop & lock. Its musical score is ubiquitous during the holidays. How did this happen?

Join Janine Kovac, former professional ballet dancer and author of The Nutcracker Chronicles, and Shanthi Sekaran (Lucky Boy, Boomi’s Boombox) as they discuss how this iconic ballet found its footing from artistic debacle to pop culture mainstay, and how it persists in entertaining even the most cynical holiday Scrooges.

Janine Kovac writes about power dynamics and women's bodies. A professional ballet dancer whose career spanned over twelve years, Janine danced with companies in San Francisco, Seattle, Iceland, Italy, and in her hometown of El Paso, Texas. Her most recent work of narrative nonfiction The Nutcracker Chronicles: A Fairytale Memoir recently received The Eyelands "Writer's Choice" Award, Greece's International Book Prize. Janine is an alumna of Hedgebrook, MacDowell, and The Mesa Refuge. She is the co-director of Litquake's Lit Crawl and curates Grotto Night for the San Francisco Public Library.

Shanthi Sekaran is a novelist and television writer. Her most recent adult novel, Lucky Boy, was named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, Barnes & Noble, and the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2021, she published her middle grade debut, The Samosa Rebellion, which won the Northern California Book Award and was named an Amazon Editor’s Pick for readers aged 9-13. Her second middle grade novel, Boomi’s Boombox, was a finalist for the California Book Award. She recently wrapped up work on the acclaimed NBC medical drama, New Amsterdam, and this spring, she'll be a Lurie Visiting Author at San Jose State University.