NYCB Vol. 13 No. 7 & 8 - Nutcracker

Pictured with Patricia McBride. Photo by Steven Caras

Counting down 52 NYCB Nutcrackers this year with stories from NYCB dancers past and present! Today we hear from Robert LaFosse, who was in the company from 1986-2002 and has been a guest artist with the company from 2002-present:

“My first experience with the Nutcracker was when I was 6 years old in Beaumont Texas and was cast as a mouse. As I got older, I performed the role of Fritz, then the Russian dance, and finally the Sugarplum Cavalier. When I joined American Ballet Theatre, I danced the role of a Soldier, Waltz of the Flowers, one of the Buffoons and finally the Nutcracker Prince.

“When I joined the New York City Ballet, I was cast as the Sugarplum Cavalier and the Father in the film. In 1991, I asked to perform Herr Drosselmeyer, a role that I was always interested in tackling.”

“Up to that point I had seen Sean O’Brien, Bart Cook and Andrei Kramarevsky perform the role of Drosselmeyer at New York City Ballet. Having seen all of these different interpretations I knew that I wanted to put my own stamp on it. So I started my research and decided I re-read the E.T.A. Hoffman text to find any clues. That’s where I came up with the long white hair. I believe there’s a description to the effect of ‘like white spun glass.’"

“I decided to wear a prosthetic nose since my nose was a very youthful shape. So I went to a dancer in the company, Ben Bowman, who knew how to make noses, and told him to make me a nose like Mr. Balanchine’s. At first, I decided that my Drosselmeyer would have a limp from an injury he had from falling off a ladder while working in his workshop. As the years have gone by, I’ve taken out the limp and made him a little bit more sophisticated. Every year is a new discovery and it’s a joy seeing him evolve. Now, my favorite part is watching all the children perform for the first time. Seeing their faces light up every year gets me in the holiday spirit.

“One year, I went to open one of the boxes for the Soldier doll to come out and dance. Surprise! He was not there. I looked to the right and I looked to the left and figured, ‘Well, here’s my chance. I finally have a solo.’ I immediately improvised a one minute dance to the soldier’s music. I vaguely remember doing a pique turn circle on my heels. All the company were in complete shock and cheered me on. Later on we found out that someone else had signed-in for the Soldier dancer. He was at home and didn’t realize that he was cast that evening. That never happened again!

“This year marks my 33rd year performing Herr Drosselmeyer and I still love every minute of it!”