Section 4: Original Interpreters

Part of the iconography of New York City Ballet’s rendition of George Balanchine’s The NutcrackerⓇ can be attributed to the star dancers who originated the lead roles and left an indelible impression upon audiences. Chief among these was Maria Tallchief, who created and defined the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy for future generations of dancers. Tallchief’s marriage to Balanchine had been annulled by the time his production of The Nutcracker was in rehearsals, but she was still very much the choreographer’s muse, and the variations for the Sugar Plum Fairy are tailor-made to show off her strengths as a dancer. Tallchief traded off the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with Balanchine’s then wife, the great Tanaquil Le Clercq. Even though Le Clercq danced the Sugar Plum Fairy, it was the secondary but no less memorable role of Dewdrop that was specifically designed for her to demonstrate her speed, grace, and precision. The images of Le Clercq in the original 1954 production are particularly poignant, as less than two years later, polio left her paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life, cutting short the career of one of America’s most complete ballerinas.