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Berlin State Ballet bans Nutcracker

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Berlin State Ballet bans Nutcracker


25.11.2021

Photo credit: mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker has been accused of racism, RIA Novosti reports. The Berlin State Ballet has decided to temporarily suspend the production of The Nutcracker, one of the most popular choreographic performances in the world. 

It is said that the theater found "politically incorrect episodes" in the classical production. According to the artistic director of the troupe Christiane Theobald, one of them is the appearance on the stage of two dancers wearing makeup that imitates black skin. This kind of portrayal of a character is called blackfacing  and is considered a manifestation of racism. Oriental dance was also called a manifestation of racism -  the soloist also wears dark makeup.

The ballet was staged by Russian choreographers Vasily Medvedev and Yuri Burlaka. After it was taken over by choreographer Johannes Oman, blackfacing was eliminated.

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