LAKEVILLE, Minn. — A beloved holiday classic is getting a Minnesota twist while aiming to be more inclusive.
Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota is in final rehearsals for "A Minnesota Nutcracker" at its Lakeville headquarters before performances begin Thursday next week at Ames Center in Burnsville.
"We're excited," associate artistic director Rick Vogt said. "Things are pulling together. There's always a lot of work and this year maybe even a little more work than usual."
Vogt says Twin Cities Ballet tries "to be as inclusive as possible." The full cast includes around 120 professional dancers, adult apprentices, and students. He describes them as diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, and ability.
"Some of our own dancers have ADHD," he said. "We've had dancers with Tourette's or Asperger's."
Meanwhile, the traditional "Nutcracker" is increasingly criticized for its culturally insensitive or racist portrayals. For years, ballet companies presented non-Asian dancers in yellowface not only in "The Nutcracker" but also in many other shows. However, since 2017, almost every major American ballet company has signed a pledge to eliminate outdated and offensive Asian stereotypes.
"The issues with 'Nutcracker' weren't so much a lack of diversity, it was more the treatment of stereotypes," Vogt said. "It's referring primarily to 'The Chinese Dance,' where historically a lot of companies have had very stereotypical … makeup and the style of movement."
Vogt says Twin Cities Ballet has never done yellowface.
"In fact, a couple years ago, we even stopped referring generally to the dances by their nationalities," he said.
This year, the company is making even more changes to the show with new costumes, choreography, and context. According to a company press release, Act II divertissements that traditionally feature "sweets" like Chinese Tea and Arabian Coffee will instead focus on Minnesota characters and landmarks.
"We feature the Minnesota state bird and it's not the loon, it's 'The Dance of the Mosquitos,'" Vogt said. "'The Arabian Dance,' has become 'Flowing Waters.' We are the Land of 10,000 Lakes."
"We've introduced golden horses so they're coming off the quadriga from the State Capitol," Vogt continued. "So those are changes that we've made that both make it more Minnesotan and give people something to recognize and relate to and have fun [while moving] away from those elements of potential cultural appropriation."
Performances begin Dec. 8 with a "sensory-relaxed" show. Regular performances will be held Dec. 9-12.
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