Minnesota Ballet Theatre marks 24th year of staging ‘The Nutcracker’

The Minnesota Ballet Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 12-14. Photo by Maddie Robinson

Maddie Robinson

The Minnesota Ballet Theatre (MBT) is bringing the classic Christmas story “The Nutcracker” to the stage Friday through Sunday at the Eden Prairie High School Performing Arts Center.

“The Nutcracker,” a renowned classical ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, follows Clara, a young girl who receives a magic nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. This will be the MBT’s 24th year performing the ballet.

MBT was founded in 2018 by Kirill Bak-Stepanoff and his wife, Svetlana Bak-Gavrilova. The theater serves as a performance-based addition to the Minnesota Ballet School, which was established in 2001 and then called the Academy of Russian Ballet, according to Bak-Stepanoff.

Bak-Stepanoff and Bak-Gavrilova are both graduates of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, a prestigious ballet school in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and toured the world as professional dancers before starting their school in Eden Prairie. They specialize in the Vaganova method, a style of ballet created by Russian dancer Agrippina Vaganova that emphasizes involving the entire body and is highly precise, Bak-Stepanoff said.

“(Vaganova) took French ballet, Italian ballet, found the strongest part of it, and kind of combined this together and polish it, and so it’s really, really pure ballet,” Bak-Stepanoff said.

Ballet dancers in pink and purple costumes dance in "The Nutcracker." Two dancers are in the middle of a leap in the center of the stage while holding props. At the back of the stage, younger dancers are on the floor dancing. The backdrop of the stage has imagery including candy canes and ice cream sundaes. The Minnesota Ballet Theatre & School has performed “The Nutcracker” every year since 2001. It was produced under the Minnesota Ballet School name until 2018, when the Minnesota Ballet Theatre opened. Photo courtesy of Kirill Bak-Stepanoff

The Vaganova method is known to be exceptionally demanding and prioritizes discipline, qualities Bak-Stepanoff said are valuable for students, especially if they want to become professional dancers. He added that teaching the Vaganova method in Minnesota sets their school apart from others in the area.

“We brought this totally new form of classical ballet to Minnesota because (there were) no Russians here,” Bak-Stepanoff said. “We think it’s a great thing to teach kids the Russian style of ballet.”

Bak-Stepanoff and Bak-Gavrilova have presented “The Nutcracker” since the school’s founding in 2001, but the production has been staged under the MBT name since it opened in 2018. The two organizations’ tradition of performing “The Nutcracker” each year has become a community staple.

This year’s production will feature the original Marius Petipa choreography from 1892 and updated costumes, Bak-Stepanoff said.

A male dancer holds a female dancer as she balances on her toes in pointe shoes. Many dancers are behind them hitting various poses. The walls are yellow and the words "Minnesota Ballet Theatre & School" are written in large letters. There are two windows with ballerina costumes displayed, along with ballet barres underneath. This year’s production of “The Nutcracker” features the original 1892 choreography by Marius Petipa. Photo by Maddie Robinson

“The Nutcracker” will also showcase the work of eight guest artists from local, national and international backgrounds who are working with MBT this year in a variety of roles.

Artists include Andrew Lester, a dancer from St. Paul who was a full-time company member with James Sewell Ballet and has performed with Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and the Minnesota Opera; Christina Grace Duffy, who began her formal ballet training in South Carolina before performing with companies such as Charlotte Ballet, Moscow Ballet, and Oklahoma City Ballet; and Aliaksandra Krukava, a graduate of the Minsk Ballet Academy and a principal dancer with the Minsk State Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Russian National Ballet.

One of the most rewarding things about doing “The Nutcracker” year after year is the chance to see dancers grow in their artistry and step into more challenging roles, Bak-Stepanoff said. He added that he has seen students start with the company when they are very young and later work their way into major roles, like the Snow Queen.

A male dancer, dressed in all black, and a female dancer, in a leotard, hit a ballet pose. Several other dancers are behind them striking poses as well. The walls are yellow, and there is a window and ballet barres. “The Nutcracker” will also feature eight guest artists from around the world. Photo by Maddie Robinson

Bak-Stepanoff said bringing the love of ballet to dancers through performances of “The Nutcracker” is a “real joy” and is important for making the community’s arts scene more robust.

“It’s like (the) art of ballet, art of dance, it’s like any other art,” he said. “I think it should be here in (the) community, because some people, they love art, some people they love sport, and some people they love science, and everybody (needs) to find something.”

There are four performances of “The Nutcracker:”

6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12

1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13

6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13

1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14

Ticket prices range between $29 to $42, with special VIP tickets available for $75. VIP ticket holders get exclusive seats, an opportunity to meet the dancers and an autographed poster. Various promotional codes and discounts are available online.

Buy tickets for “The Nutcracker” online. For more information about the Minnesota Ballet Theatre & School, visit the theater’s website or the school’s website.