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The Harlem Nutcracker
This innovative interpretation of The Nutcracker ballet combines the beauty and sizzle of Harlem Renaissance nightclubs, the power of true love, and the magic of Christmas. The Harlem Nutcracker tells the story of the recently widowed Clara, whose fear and despair on Christmas Eve melt away during a fantastical journey back in time with the ghost of her beloved husband. Donald Byrd's jazzy ballet--which has played to rave reviews across the country since its debut in 1996--celebrates African American family and history, and the joy of Christmas.
- GenresPicture Books
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 27, 2013
This is about a ballet by Donald Byrd based on Duke Ellington's interpretation of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. Byrd wanted to bring a sense of inclusion to African Americans. "I wanted this Nutcracker to invite black people to the theater. That does not mean people of other ethnic groups cannot enjoy the ballet. If you can ask black people to relate to white people on the stage, I see no reason why white people should not relate to black people on the stage. It's reallly about inclusion."
The main character is Clara, the grandmother of the family, who is awaiting the arrival of her family on Christmas Eve. Grandmothers are very important in the African American community because they represent an ancestral link to Africa. They are a symbol of respect for one's elders and the honor for one's ancestors. The grandparents carry forward the traditions of the church. The church in the black community is not just about religion. It represents community, morals, and ethics.
Back to Clara, she misses her husband, Gus who passed away the year before. After the family gathers, celebrates and goes off the bed, Clara is alone and is visited by Death. The Nutcracker fights Death to save Clara and Clara rescues the Nutcracker (who turns out to be her beloved prince, Gus) from Death. They spend the night traveling through the heydays of Harlem and visit Club Sweets - with the hottest jazz and so elegant cool crowd. After the club, Clara revisits the eras of her life: 30's - Depression; 40's - Gus's proposal and WWII; 50's - Civil Rights Movement; 60's - turbulent changes and great sorrow; 70's - son rebelled against parents' belief in nonviolent changes; 80's - era of greed and the decline of her beloved neighborhoos; 90's - Gus's death.
On Christmas morning, Clara is found by her family. She tells not to worry about her and passes on the present of the Nutcracker to her youngest grandchild (symbolizing the bond between seniors and children/past and present/Africa and America). She is finally ready to climb the stairway to eternity. Clara took one last look at her family, then continued her journey with her beloved prince, Gus. Very touching ending!
The main character is Clara, the grandmother of the family, who is awaiting the arrival of her family on Christmas Eve. Grandmothers are very important in the African American community because they represent an ancestral link to Africa. They are a symbol of respect for one's elders and the honor for one's ancestors. The grandparents carry forward the traditions of the church. The church in the black community is not just about religion. It represents community, morals, and ethics.
Back to Clara, she misses her husband, Gus who passed away the year before. After the family gathers, celebrates and goes off the bed, Clara is alone and is visited by Death. The Nutcracker fights Death to save Clara and Clara rescues the Nutcracker (who turns out to be her beloved prince, Gus) from Death. They spend the night traveling through the heydays of Harlem and visit Club Sweets - with the hottest jazz and so elegant cool crowd. After the club, Clara revisits the eras of her life: 30's - Depression; 40's - Gus's proposal and WWII; 50's - Civil Rights Movement; 60's - turbulent changes and great sorrow; 70's - son rebelled against parents' belief in nonviolent changes; 80's - era of greed and the decline of her beloved neighborhoos; 90's - Gus's death.
On Christmas morning, Clara is found by her family. She tells not to worry about her and passes on the present of the Nutcracker to her youngest grandchild (symbolizing the bond between seniors and children/past and present/Africa and America). She is finally ready to climb the stairway to eternity. Clara took one last look at her family, then continued her journey with her beloved prince, Gus. Very touching ending!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2018
Uses photos from Byrd's Harlem Nutcracker at DTH to tell the story of that ballet. It's a cool retelling/reimagining. Clara is a grandmother whose husband has died in the past year, and her daughter and daughter-in-law don't like each other. The themes are really about love and family. The Land of Sweets equivalent is a club during the Harlem Renaissance.
I didn't think some of the pictures used for the party scene aligned with the text very well, but during the rest of the book, the pictures were well-chosen to tell the story. They aren't the danciest pictures for the most part.
I didn't think some of the pictures used for the party scene aligned with the text very well, but during the rest of the book, the pictures were well-chosen to tell the story. They aren't the danciest pictures for the most part.
December 22, 2016
I'm sure this was wonderful on stage, but it loses something in translation. The pictures are nice, but the retelling of the story is only so-so. The prose has the stilted quality of an inelegantly written essay.
December 26, 2017
Superb! I would love to see this performed live on stage. Very well done. Ya know, this is the first time I ever heard the Nutcracker story.
September 8, 2020
An interesting re-envisioning of the Nutcracker based on Duke Ellington's music, jazz dance, and with Clara as a grandmother.
Would be fun to watch.
A good book to pair with Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite
Would be fun to watch.
A good book to pair with Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite
December 30, 2016
A wonderful story!
A little misleading, as the dust jacket suggested it was a direct retelling of the story, but I'm so glad that it did! Wish that I was lucky enough to have seen this ballet live, because if it was even half as beautiful as the words and pictures suggested, it truly would have been a sugar-plum sweet gift!
A little misleading, as the dust jacket suggested it was a direct retelling of the story, but I'm so glad that it did! Wish that I was lucky enough to have seen this ballet live, because if it was even half as beautiful as the words and pictures suggested, it truly would have been a sugar-plum sweet gift!
July 19, 2016
This is a lovely book telling the story of a dance production. The story is awesome, but the writing is a little disjointed; there are gaps in the storytelling because we miss the full dances.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews