One Great Christmas Adventure
It’s Christmas time and The Nutcracker strikes again! We are talking, of course, about the famous two-act ballet, with score written by Tchaikovsky himself. Here at Ballet Body Sculpture we want to talk about this show, often played in London and Zurich operas. So what’s all the fuss about?
It’s a long-time tradition in North America, but also in the rest of world to perform this classic piece during Christmas, and some companies make almost 40% of their annual revenue with this show. So, why do families from all over the world gather in theatres to watch this? Why do so many people love this ballet, at least since the 60’s?
The truth is, the show was first presented in 1892, almost 70 years before its actual success. Just one year before the death of Tchaikovsky, who passed away at 53. The show was coldly received, and only the years have given this piece the “all-time classic” status.
What’s the story of the Nutcracker?
The ballet presents us the Stahlbaums family. It’s Christmas time, and all the members meet around the Christmas tree. Fritz and Clara, the children, are happy and excited. The guests arrive and everything is ready for a typical Christmas Eve gathering. Suddenly, the mysterious Godfather Drosselmeyer, the toymaker, arrives at the party. He brings special presents for the children. The party is on and everyone is having a great time. The presents are opened and our hero, Clara, receives the best of them all… the soldier shaped nutcracker. But her jealous brother can’t stop himself, and the poor nutcracker finally ends up broken on the floor. The party ends, and Clara falls asleep under the Christmas tree, holding her broken toy. It’s a sad moment, indeed, but the magic is only just about to start.
Clara wakes up in the middle of the night, and to her surprise, the nutcracker is alive!
From now on, Christmas magic will invade the show and engage the audience within the great adventure of Clara and her magic prince, in their quest to defeat the evil King Mouse and discover the true spirit of Christmas.
At Ballet Body Sculpture we don’t want to miss the chance to recommend this great adventure to you, a perfect show to see with the whole family. And, if you meet Sugar Plum Fairy, say hello to her from us.
We hope you enjoyed our latest Nutcracker workshop 2019, dancing beautiful magical snowflakes!