Abstract

Ivanov’s Nutcracker premiered in 1892 and since then, many choreographers have made their own versions of the work. This article examines two key productions in which Trepak, one of the act 2 divertissements, has remained largely unchanged—Willam Christensen’s 1944 version for San Francisco Ballet and George Balanchine’s 1958 version for CBS—and addresses the historical frameworks: namely, the impact of Russian Imperialism, World War II, and the Cold War that shaped them.