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- Nutcracker Suite
Nutcracker Suite - Show Information
The story of a little girl named Clara and a wooden doll that given to her on Christmas Eve.Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker has had some positives and some negatives in its existence since the mid twentieth century. However, at Christmastime, its popularity revives. The essence of being in a nostalgic dream makes this a great yuletide ballet. One never tires of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Trepac (Russian dance), or Waltz of the Flowers.
The story revolves around a child who was overlooked when gifts were handed out at a Christmas Eve party. The giver of gifts finally manages to come up with a Nutcracker who resembles a toy soldier and presents it to the little girl. When her brother breaks the toy soldier, she chases him away and mends the little gift herself.
After the family festivities end and everyone retires to their bedrooms, the girl gets up to look at her Nutcracker and falls asleep under the Christmas tree. Here is where the story seems to change into the child's dream, a dream of a growing Christmas tree, a band of other toy soldiers and a battle with some mice. The dream continues, taking the child and her Nutcracker who becomes a Prince, to childlike situations involving a Sugar Plum Fairy, clowns, flowers and other elements of a child's imagination.
The music in this ballet does such a spectacular job of setting the mood for the scenes. Much of the music has become rather popular and associated with the Nutcracker Suite. This is the one ballet to see year after year. It's a great holiday favorite.
| Music | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |