As the Christmas holidays approach, we watch the same films -
Sissi Empress
and
Father Christmas is a junk
among others -, we play the same plays, we dance the same ballets.
The Nutcracker
in mind.
Except at the Staatsballett in Berlin, where the work of Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky does not appear on the program.
And for good reason: the acting director of the institution, Christiane Theobald, considers the spectacle to be racist.
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“We have to ask ourselves if there are any issues with the creation era
,
”
said Theobald, who views production as containing ethnic stereotypes.
In act II of the ballet, in the “kingdom of delights”, several nationalities are presented through typical dishes and choreographies: Spanish dance (chocolate), Arabic dance (coffee), Chinese dance (tea ) and Russian dance (Trepak).
It is the second and third which are thus called into question, the Arab dance representing in particular a dancer surrounded by ladies from his harem.
"Obsolete and discriminatory practices"
The initiative created a stir in Germany. It aroused the enthusiasm of public radio BR-Klassik, which specifies that it is not the work of Tchaikovsky that is questioned but the choreography of Marius Petipa. A Jesuit reasoning insofar as the said choreography dates from the creation of the ballet in 1892. Conversely, the daily
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
questions the respect due to the public:
“According to a Staatsballett podcast, the public is not still ready to fully understand what he sees on stage.
[…]
How stupid or even racist does dance science consider dance audiences to be? ”
, can we read in the columns of the newspaper.
The will of Christiane Theobald also outraged the Chinese-Canadian violinist Zhang Zhang:
"Those who claim that the
Nutcracker
is racist towards the Chinese are ignorant and arrogant: Chinese companies present it regularly to the Chinese public, the real racist act is" is the ban on this ballet in our name, ”
she protested.
The decision of the Staatsballett in Berlin is part of the institution's commitment to review its repertoire and bring to light
“obsolete and discriminatory practices
”.
This desire was clearly expressed when the French dancer Chloé Anaïs Lopes Gomes, black skinned, denounced the racism allegedly shown by her ballet mistress against her: "
The day after my hearing
[at the Staatsballett,
editor's note
], tells the ballerina,
the ballet mistress told one of my fellow dancers that she thought it was a mistake to hire me, that a black woman spoils the aesthetic.
This same woman spent the next two years discriminating against me. ”
Consultation of the communities concerned
Since the revelations of the dancer, the Berlin company has undertaken to pay her financial compensation of 16,000 euros and to extend her contract for one year, while it was due to end in June 2021. A series of anti-discrimination measures have also been taken, including the re-examination of the repertoire in order to open our eyes to
"obsolete and discriminatory interpretations, to see and reassess traditions in a new light and with a different consciousness"
, described the institution in a press release.
Berliners who are passionate about dance will be able to console themselves with
Don Quixote
, according to the choreography of the same Marius Petipa, questioned for his
Nutcracker
, and whose bicentenary is being celebrated this year.
The show is not, however, free from such problems.
A “gypsy” dance, featured in the production, is discussed with representatives of the Sinti and Roma communities in order to obtain their blessing.
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In November, other companies also became entangled in reorganizations of
The Nutcracker
to eliminate the
"cartoonish elements"
of Arab and Chinese dance, such as the Scottish Ballet and the Royal Ballet, two of the four companies. UK nationals, reports
The Daily Mail
. In the original version of the ballet, two children were blackened in the second act, which sparked cries of orchard from 2015.
“In an ongoing process of discussion with company members and guests, the Royal Ballet strives each season to create an inclusive environment for its performers and audiences,”
the institution said.
Which decided to remove the presence of the three ballerinas in Arab dance, favoring a man / woman duo in order to
"create an inclusive environment for artists and the public"
.
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On the side of the Scottish Ballet, it was decided, at the beginning of November, to remove the contentious elements after an examination revealed
"proliferated racial stereotypes"
in certain scenes. In 2020, the Scottish institution was showing contrition, considering that its fifty years of history
"included an obsolete and racist artistic content"
. In an article published on the company's website, titled "Black Lives Matter: How the Scottish Ballet Tackles Anti-Racism in Ballet," the troupe flogged themselves all the more for
"examining
[their]
own history, understanding and accepting how the Scottish Ballet has been part of and benefited from institutional and systemic racism,
[they hope to]
encourage others to do the same ”
.
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