The Nutcracker begins with prologue where guests are
arriving at the house of President and Mrs. Stahlbaum for a Christmas party.
The children, with lovely Clara Stahlbaum and her spirited brother, Fritz, are
enchanted by the beautiful tree and the many gifts. Soon the elderly relatives
arrive and refreshments and dancing continue. The children move to their
parents, when suddenly, in comes Drosselmeyer, the strange magician, bringing
life-size clockwork toy dolls as presents. He gives Clara a toy Nutcracker
which Fritz covets, and soon a quarrel begins as the naughty brother snatches
the toy and throws it to the floor. Drosselmeyer hurriedly comes to the rescue
and the little girls begin to play with their dolls. Not for long, however, for
the boys keep upsetting the little girls with their devilish pranks! At last,
one final dance brings the festivities to an end as the guests and their sleepy
children depart.
When the house is quiet, Clara cannot sleep for thinking of
her Nutcracker Doll. At midnight she returns to seek her toy. However, by one
of the metamorphoses common only to fairyland, the familiar room becomes a
battlefield for toy soldiers who come to life under the command of the
Nutcracker Doll. They wage war against the invading horde of mice led by the
Rat King. Clara is fearful for her beloved Nutcracker Doll and helps him to
victory by hitting the Rat King with her slipper.
Clara is seen passing through a storm of snowflakes on her
way to the Kingdom of Sweets. Clara and Drosselmeyer are greeted and led to a
throne that has been prepared for Clara. Little cooks serve her delightful
goodies and she tells them of the battle between the mice and soldiers. The Prince
introduces a group of animated dancers from many lands representing Chocolate,
Coffee and Tea. Russian dancers leap and Mirlitons with their reed pipes dance,
while beautiful bouquets of flowers honor her. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her
Prince crown the festival with their own expression of love and perfection by
dancing the grand “Pas de Deux.” To bid farewell to their guests, each group
returns for a last goodbye, for all beautiful dreams finally come to an end!
My Happy Homeschool is learning through literature about the
Nutcracker Ballet with the following books:
Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet
Nutcracker and Mouse King
Happy Homeschooling!
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