Jeffrey Brown:
It’s part of a broader movement in the art form. “The Nutcracker” was first staged in 1892 by Russia’s Mariinsky Ballet. The New York City Ballet, which premiered George Balanchine’s iconic version of “The Nutcracker” in 1954, made history five years ago when 11-year-old Charlotte Nebres performed as its first Black Marie, in many adaptations of the story known as Clara, the heroine of the story.
And last year, it cast two Black dancers in the role of Dewdrop for the first time. This year, the Oklahoma City Ballet has also taken a new approach to the role of the fairy. Audiences can watch both male and female dancers lead the “Waltz of the Flowers.”
In 2021, partly spurred by an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, several companies reworked the tea scene in the second act to remove what many saw as offensive Asian stereotypes.
