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Saturday, December 20, 2008

N utcracker

Last night we watched one of my favorite holiday stories, The Nutcracker Ballet. It doesn't matter how many times I see it, either live onstage or on the screen, I am captivated. The music, costumes and of course the story all enchant me.

The Nutcracker Ballet is based on a story written by E.T.A. Hoffman called The Nutcracker and the King of Mice. It is the tale of a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads.

In 1891 choreographer Marius Petipa commissioned Tchaikovsky to write the music for the Nutcracker Ballet. The first performance of the Nutcracker took place at the Mariinsky Theatre of Russia in 1892. Thankfully it was a hit, and eventually made its way across Europe and to the United States.

The Nutcracker is one of our annual holiday traditions.

What about you? Is there one special performance that touches your heart?

2 comments:

Dru said...

I had two firsts that day, seeing The Nutcracker performed and being at Lincoln Center. What an experience and whenever the holidays roll around, I think of the wonderful time I had there.

Melissa McClone said...

I love the Nutcracker. I've taken my oldest to see it twice. The last time was in 2006 when a dance friend of hers was staring as Clara (though they called her Marie since they were using the George Balanchine's choreography. We had fourth row seats and she sat mesmerized.