Then and Now: A Pictorial Journey into the San Francisco Ballet, 'The Nutcracker'

December 17, 2019 Ronnie Sharpe

The Sugar Plum Fairy waltzes with her court of Flowers dazzling Clara and Drosselmeyer.

Jocelyn Vollmar as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Christensen's Nutcracker, 1949, Photo courtesy SFMPD.

Sasha De Sola in Tomasson's Nutcracker // © Erik Tomasson

The famous Madame du Cirque is filled with many small surprises including a dancing bear!

San Francisco Ballet in Willam Christensen's Nutcracker. (© San Francisco Ballet. Photo courtesy SFMPD.)

San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Nutcracker // © Erik Tomasson

The King and Queen of Snow send Clara and the Prince off to their next adventure.

Celena Cummings and Joaquim Felsch in Willam Christensen's Nutcracker, 1944. (© San Francisco Ballet. Photo courtesy SFMPD.)

Yuan Yuan Tan and Carlo Di Lanno in Tomasson's Nutcracker // © Erik Tomasson

Russian Dancers fly through the air with joy and verve.

Willam Christensen's Nutcracker, 1944. (© San Francisco Ballet. Photo courtesy SFMPD.)

Esteban Hernandez in Tomasson's Nutcracker // © Erik Tomasson

Ballerinas dance about in a blizzard of snow.

Sally Whalen, Celina Cummings, Onna White, and other San Francisco Ballet dancers in W. Christensen's "Nutcracker", 1944. (© Joaquin Felsch. Courtesy of SFMPD.)

Drosselmeyer grants Clara her Christmas wish by transforming her into a ballerina so she can dance with the prince.

Gisella Caccialanza and William Christensen in the first American full-length production of Nutcracker (1944).

Like many children, my families annual tradition seeing The Nutcracker over the last 13 years was my daughter’s first exposure to both ballet and classical music. Now as a young talented flautist perhaps some day it will be her turn to contribute to the San Francisco Ballet’s history.