Nutcracker Concludes NOLA's Christmas
What Christmas season is complete without the Nutcracker? A time-honored favorite, this ballet is synonymous with all of the warmth and nostalgia of Christmastime. This year, the Saenger Theatre's performance of NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet was magical.
The Nutcracker tells the tale of Clara and her little brother Fritz on Christmas Eve. Of all her Christmas toys, Clara loves the Nutcracker most but when Frtiz breaks it, Clara puts the wounded Nutcracker under the Christmas tree and goes to sleep. The rest of the ballet is Clara's dream that moves between fantasy and nightmare. There is the Rat King who battles with the Nutcracker. There are Doves of Peace and the Land of Peace of Harmony where a variety of duos dance the Chinese, Arabian, French, Spanish, and Slavic variations. The story ends with Clara and the Prince dancing the Waltz of the Flowers.
The music is perhaps the most iconic of all Christmas music. Tchaikovsky composed The Nutcracker Suite in 1892, the story behind the music adapted from an E.T.A. Hoffman 1816 story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
Tchaikovsky's music included favorite songs like "The Decoration of the Christmas Tree," "Clara and the Nutcracker," and "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," which delighted many of the young audience members.
The performers was hosted by Arabesque Ballet Theater International with Ms. Lucia Kuimova as their artistic director. Lots of young dancers pirouted on stage, outfitted as tiny mice, dolls, and soldiers. There were spectacular acrobatics and stunning puppets to complete the fantasy of the story. The set was colorful and handcrafted and the costumes were beautiful.
The ballet was lovely and the ideal way to end the holiday. If you haven't gone before, you should put this on your holiday festivities list for next year!
