Nutcracker Review
Review: “The Nutcracker Suite” - A Beloved Traditional Classic Tale Charms Audience with a Magical Sensation
December 27, 2009 by Daniel Maikawa
The Nutcracker Suite was an elaborate fairy- tale ballet written by E.T.A. Hoffman in the late 1800’s which was accompanied by the brilliant music of Tchaikovsky. It included two acts consisting of five scenes: The Party Scene, The Fight Scene, The Land of Snow, The Land of Sweets and The Dream Ends. This 1993 version of The Nutcracker Suite performed in New York City was directed by George Balanchine and had a non- traditional ballet aspect in the setting, costumes and dances.
This was story of a little girl named Marie, and an adventure which she had on Christmas Eve. What was unusual about this Christmas Eve was that her mysterious uncle, Drosselmeyer, arrived and brought a special doll for Marie. What happened next was a magical adventure where my favourite scenes were The Christmas Party, The Fight Scene, and The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
I had never seen The Nutcracker Ballet before, and witnessing it for the first time was a captivating unique experience. It was both visually and musically stunning, and was a treat for both my eyes and ears. The choreography was spectacular and the music accompanied the dancer’s movements very well. Although, I did not anticipate the non- traditional ballet aspect of the production, thinking it would be more old- fashioned since it originated from Russia in the late 1800’s, I still was enchanted with a magical feeling and enjoyed the modernized production. In the near future, I wish to go to a Nutcracker performance in a nearby theatre to take on a different perspective of the story.
Christmas Party – Most famous musical piece of the production
The music is very strong and energetic. I observe that the dancers have colourful costumes of the late 1800s, but they were not quite the traditional ballet attire as in other Nutcracker productions from Russia.
December 27, 2009 by Daniel Maikawa
The Nutcracker Suite was an elaborate fairy- tale ballet written by E.T.A. Hoffman in the late 1800’s which was accompanied by the brilliant music of Tchaikovsky. It included two acts consisting of five scenes: The Party Scene, The Fight Scene, The Land of Snow, The Land of Sweets and The Dream Ends. This 1993 version of The Nutcracker Suite performed in New York City was directed by George Balanchine and had a non- traditional ballet aspect in the setting, costumes and dances.
This was story of a little girl named Marie, and an adventure which she had on Christmas Eve. What was unusual about this Christmas Eve was that her mysterious uncle, Drosselmeyer, arrived and brought a special doll for Marie. What happened next was a magical adventure where my favourite scenes were The Christmas Party, The Fight Scene, and The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
I had never seen The Nutcracker Ballet before, and witnessing it for the first time was a captivating unique experience. It was both visually and musically stunning, and was a treat for both my eyes and ears. The choreography was spectacular and the music accompanied the dancer’s movements very well. Although, I did not anticipate the non- traditional ballet aspect of the production, thinking it would be more old- fashioned since it originated from Russia in the late 1800’s, I still was enchanted with a magical feeling and enjoyed the modernized production. In the near future, I wish to go to a Nutcracker performance in a nearby theatre to take on a different perspective of the story.
Christmas Party – Most famous musical piece of the production
The music is very strong and energetic. I observe that the dancers have colourful costumes of the late 1800s, but they were not quite the traditional ballet attire as in other Nutcracker productions from Russia.