Go inside one of The Nutcracker’s most unforgettable roles!
Bursting onto the stage with laughter, color, and energy, Mother Ginger brings the audience to life just as Act II unfolds. As Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney explains, “She’s very much a surprise in the show…a lively, kick-your heels-up and have-a-fun-time sort of experience.”
Unlike many Nutcracker productions where a performer plays the role of Mother Ginger, Kansas City Ballet’s Mother Ginger is a puppet operated by a dancer underneath her enormous skirt where eight small Polichinelles also hide.
What was it like to operate Mother Ginger over the years? In this short video, dancers Gavin Abercrombie, Troy Monger-Levin, and Ben Workman share their lighthearted memories of operating the towering, 10-foot-tall Mother Ginger.
Look for a new Mother Ginger this season!
Header image: Kansas City Ballet School students as Polichinelles with the former Mother Ginger in Devon Carney’s The Nutcracker. Photo by Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios.
