Communication Studies Students at the Dress Rehearsal of The Nutcracker

On Monday, 17 November 2025, undergraduate students of Communication Studies enrolled in the course Criticism and Modern Journalism Genres, taught by Assoc. Prof. Zlatko Vidačković, attended the dress rehearsal of the ballet The Nutcracker at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. As part of their fieldwork, students explored the process of shaping a ballet production, observed the final artistic preparations, and analysed Rudolf Nureyev’s choreographic style in its performance context. Their impressions and observations will serve as the basis for writing professional critiques within the course.
 

This season, the beloved Nutcracker will come to life in an ambitious version created by the renowned Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, based on the choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Nureyev’s Nutcracker will be performed for the first time at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, with its premiere scheduled for 21 November 2025. The production is directed by Aleth Francillon Grimbert, with set and costume design by Jérôme Kaplan. The principal roles will be performed by the Croatian National Theatre Ballet’s principal dancers Iva Vitić Gameiro and Guilherme Gameiro Alves.
 

Nureyev first staged his Nutcracker in 1967 for the Royal Swedish Ballet. The libretto is based on Alexandre Dumas’ adaptation of the story, which Nureyev reworked and enriched with a strong psychoanalytic dimension. According to his interpretation, in Clara’s dreamlike experience, Drosselmeyer and the Prince represent the same person—an idealised male figure and a symbolic reflection of the process of maturation.

Nureyev’s version of The Nutcracker has become one of the most influential interpretations of the 20th century, performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages: the Royal Ballet in London, La Scala in Milan, the Ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, and others. A film based on this choreography, featuring Elisabeth Maurin (Clara) and Laurent Hilaire (Drosselmeyer/Prince), further contributed to the international acclaim of Nureyev’s reading of this Christmas classic.