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Nutcracker Season at BAM


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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Belinskaya is wearing pointe shoes in this pic.

I think that those are ballet slippers. Remember, one of them has to come off.

Was that on the original libretto too...?

More from wikipedia, from the plot summary from Act 1:

A conflict ensues, and when Clara helps the Nutcracker by throwing her shoe at the Mouse King, the Nutcracker seizes his opportunity and stabs him. The mouse dies. (In some productions, she merely grabs the Mouse King by the tail, and in others Clara kills the Mouse King when she throws her slipper at him.) The mice retreat, taking their dead leader with them. The Nutcracker is then transformed into a prince. (In Hoffmann's original story, and in Peter Wright's Royal Ballet 1985 version, the Prince is actually Drosselmeyer's nephew, who had been turned into a Nutcracker by the Mouse King, and all of the events following the Christmas party have been arranged by Drosselmeyer in order to break the spell.)

Also, as I understand it, the only part of Balanchine's Nutcracker that seems clearly lifted from the production at the MT was the Prince's mime scene in Act 2. And the Prince mimes Clara taking off her shoe and throwing at the the Mouseking, distracting him so that the Nutcracker can stab him.

As the story goes, Balanchine performed the Nutcracker Prince at the MT as a young dancer (Legat was 16-17 at the time he created the role at the 1892 premiere) and so knew the mime scene and recreated it in his version of the ballet.

When Balanchine first staged his version of the ballet ( and I think some people would be surprised to see the version shown on TV in 1958 with several very significant and controversial differences than the version that is seen today and which was filmed in the mid 90s with Kistler and Woetzel) he wrote out the mime with the actions scanning the same way the gestures that the Nutcraker uses go. This was published in the playbill for the 50th anniversay season of Balanchine's Nut back in 2004. He ignored conventional syntax and put the words in the order the Prince would need to mime them. So instead of "she threw her slipper" , the order was "she".."slipper" ..."threw" which would be a practical aid for the boy doing the mime scene.

I always get a charge when I see the NYCB Nutcracker that the audience, always filled with kids , seems to follow the mime scene easily (and a lot of Russians claim that the mime is incomprehensible) and break out in cheers when the Nutcracker mimes that he has saved the whole world and has finished his story. But then I'm a fan of mime when well done.

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I always get a charge when I see the NYCB Nutcracker that the audience, always filled with kids , seems to follow the mime scene easily (and a lot of Russians claim that the mime is incomprehensible) and break out in cheers when the Nutcracker mimes that he has saved the whole world and has finished his story. But then I'm a fan of mime when well done.

I'm repeating here, but it's worth repeating:

In Edwin Denby's original review of Balanchine's "The Nutcracker", he describes how moms and kids went to see the performance. One mother noticed outloud during the snow scene that Marie was missing her shoe, and the child replied that Marie threw it at the Mouse King (to save the Nutcracker). Denby's comment was (probably paraphrasing), "She saw it, and she understood." (My book is in storage, and I can't give the exact quote.)

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Belinskaya is wearing pointe shoes in this pic.

I think that those are ballet slippers. Remember, one of them has to come off.

Was that on the original libretto too...?

More from wikipedia, from the plot summary from Act 1:

A conflict ensues, and when Clara helps the Nutcracker by throwing her shoe at the Mouse King, the Nutcracker seizes his opportunity and stabs him. The mouse dies. (In some productions, she merely grabs the Mouse King by the tail, and in others Clara kills the Mouse King when she throws her slipper at him.) The mice retreat, taking their dead leader with them. The Nutcracker is then transformed into a prince. (In Hoffmann's original story, and in Peter Wright's Royal Ballet 1985 version, the Prince is actually Drosselmeyer's nephew, who had been turned into a Nutcracker by the Mouse King, and all of the events following the Christmas party have been arranged by Drosselmeyer in order to break the spell.)

I also found this info...in that great place that is Balletalert...! :clapping: -(great job, BTW)

A PRECIS OF THE COMBINED LIBRETTO OF THE NUTCRACKER by Ivan A. Vsevolozhsky

AND THE MUSICAL INSTRUCTIONS of Marius Petipa

ACT I - The house of Herr Praesident and Frau Silberhaus

Relatives decorate the family Christmas tree. The eldest of the children, Marianne, is sent to fetch the rest, who arrive to find the sparkling sight of the tree with its decorations, and all the family gathered, and all those presents!

While the cousins play the piano, the children receive their toys to a sprightly march, and begin to play with them. Their merriment is halted, however by the chiming of the owl-topped clock, which heralds the arrival of Herr Drosselmayer, an old Town Councilman, who is of a mysterious appearance, but a loving nature. He has brought gifts for the children, too, and chiefly for Clara, the Silberhaus' daughter, and her brother Fritz, for he is their godfather. The Councillor brings some very odd-looking packages, a cabbage and a meat pie, from which issue a Harlequin and a Columbine doll, and two snuffboxes from which a vivandiere (a military saleswoman) and a soldier appear. The miraculous dolls are too precious to stand rough play, and the father orders them to a place of honor in the study for safekeeping.

Clara and Fritz are heart-broken to see their lovely toys taken from them, and begin to weep. But Drosselmayer has another surprise for them hidden inside his coat - a beautifully-made, if comical-looking, nutcracker! The children are overjoyed, but in his enthusiasm, Fritz tries to crack walnuts with the beautiful nutcracker, and breaks it, it having been made for hazelnuts. Clara is horrified, and takes up her wounded beloved toy, and cares for it as if it were a real little man, putting it safe in her favorite doll's bed, and covering it. She cautions Fritz and the boys to keep the noise down so that her nutcracker may fall peacefully to sleep.

The parents order the furniture all moved to the sides so that the evening may conclude with a traditional "Grossvater" (Grandfather) dance, at the conclusion of which the guests make their departures. Clara asks her father if she may take her sick nutcracker to bed with her. His permission is refused, and Marianne takes the children to their rooms. The lights in the drawing-room are put out.

As moonlight streams through the frost-covered windows, Clara reappears in her nightgown, resolved to nurse the poor nutcracker back to health. Just as she reaches the little bed, the clock strikes midnight, and she looks up to see - the owl replaced by Drosselmayer, who flaps the bottoms of his coat like the wings of the owl in whose place he stands. The room becomes filled with mice! Clara tries to hide behind the nutcracker's bed.

The moonlight takes on a magical shimmer, as the little girl shrinks to the size of her toys, and the Christmas tree seems to tower over her like a gigantic building.

The mice encounter the pickets of the toy soldier guards, the stuffed-rabbit drummers beat To Arms. The Gingerbread soldiers move to repel the attack of the mice and are eaten! The mice squeak their cheers as their King arrives on the battlefield. The Nutcracker, still wounded, rises from his bed to take command of the situation. He recalls the toys, and recruits the dolls to be army doctors, to heal the wounded, who bravely rush back into battle. He calls up his reserves, the boxes of tin soldiers, who cannot be eaten by the mice. They form a square around Clara and their commander, and repel the charges of the mice. Finally, the Mouse-King and the Nutcracker meet in single combat. Weakened by his earlier wound, he is about to fall to his enemy, when Clara takes off her slipper and tosses it at the Mouse-King, distracting him so that the Nutcracker may disable him and send the mice packing.

As the mice retreat, the Nutcracker kneels before Clara, and, upon arising, is shown to have been transformed into a handsome prince, a little older than she. He bids her follow him, and they walk through the Christmas tree, which tranforms into a beautiful moonlit forest of evergreens. As Clara and the Nutcracker Prince walk through the forest, snowflakes begin to fall all around them.

Act II - The Palace of Sweets in the Kingdom of Confiturembourg

The beautiful and wondrous Kingdom of Confections is readied for the reception of the Prince and Clara, who arrive in a shell-boat, drawn by dolphins, down a river of attar of roses. They are greeted by the regent of the land, the Sugar Plum Fairy, who has been ruling in the name of the Prince, against the day of his return.

The benevolent spirit asks of the exploits of the newly-arrived Prince who recounts the story of the Battle with the Mice to the kingdom, and hails Clara

as the heroine who saved his life. He then introduces her to his little sisters, who are beautiful little dolls studded with gems. They greet her warmly when he tells them of her great bravery.

At table is brought, and a chocolate service is produced; Clara and the Prince are seated in order to watch the celebration ordered for their arrival.

Chocolate from Spain is served.

Coffee from Arabia is brought.

There is Tea in the Chinese taste.

Jesters in candy-cane stripes dance a Russian dance, with hoops.

Marzipan shepherdesses from Denmark who look like Chelsea China figures, play on their mirliton-flutes.

Mother Ginger and her Children are popular French bonbons

36 flowers made of cake icing dance a grand ballabile.

The Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier end the entertainment with a Grand Pas de Deux with magical effects.

A Grand Waltz for the entire kingdom ensues, after which the scene is transformed into illuminated fountains and a gigantic beehive is shown, with flying bees guarding the riches of the miraculous kingdom, over which Clara and her Prince reign forever.

http://www.balletalert.com/ballets/19th%20century/Nuts/Libretto.htm

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When Balanchine first staged his version of the ballet ( and I think some people would be surprised to see the version shown on TV in 1958 with several very significant and controversial differences than the version that is seen today and which was filmed in the mid 90s with Kistler and Woetzel)

Like the four cavaliers!

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No Dewdrop casting? That's a major role.

Isn't Balanchine's the only version with a Dewdrop? Most others I've seen just have the corps in the waltz of the flowers.

In the version that Ruth Page choreographed in the 1960s, the Flowers soloist was called the American Beauty Rose.

And both Vainonen's and Sir Peter Wright's have male dancers partnering the flowers...

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When Balanchine first staged his version of the ballet ( and I think some people would be surprised to see the version shown on TV in 1958 with several very significant and controversial differences than the version that is seen today and which was filmed in the mid 90s with Kistler and Woetzel)

Like the four cavaliers!

Exactly. There is no Sugar Plum Cavalier and the SPF is partnered by Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Tea, and Candy Cane (hope I got those all right, I haven't looked at this in a while)

But specifically I was surprised at seeing Diana Adams being partnered by Arthur Mitchell on 1958(!!!) national television. This was nothing very unusual for NYCB audiences but quite unusual for national tv in the 50s. He appears very, very black against her very white skin at a time when mostly inter-racial interactions were a very hot potato.

In the South, segregation was still very much the norm. I remember as a kid in the early 60s on driving vacations through the southern states and rest room breaks at gas stations. I was a bit bewildered at seeing three bathrooms, men , women, and "colored". I couldn't understand that there were three sexes in North Carolina, South Carolina, etc.

Also Miller, in his Coffee number, takes hits on a water pipe. Wow, a bong on 1950s American TV

THis was pretty typical of Balanchine , I guess. He was pretty adept at pushing the envelop in his own sort of subtle way. And for all the publicized talk about how "american" he was, I think that was much more a matter of string ties than attitude. At heart I think he retained a European sensability.

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, Fritz tries to crack walnuts with the beautiful nutcracker, and breaks it, it having been made for hazelnuts.

This is a lovely synopsis. I really chuckled over the explanation of how the nutcracker broke. What a subtle distinction!

Thanks, I worked really hard at it, and now see, twelve years down the pike, that I deleted my own reference to the Nutcracker still wearing his jaw bandage, which explains the "previous wound" reference. :blushing:

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II'd say the people who might be disappointed are: Wiles; Maria R.; Sarah Lane; Jared M (esp for having a corps member picked to pair Hee Seo over him).

What about Stella, Misty Copeland and Simone Messmer. I think all of these dancers will end up in signficant supporting roles.

Disappointments in casting are part of the game. I'm sure there will be plenty of dancing to go around. Personally, I'm thrilled for Hammoudi. He's a "comer" and not bad on the eyes!

I took the route of going to the box office at BAM rather than booking over the phone or on line. Got wonderful seats for every performance I wanted! Center front row Mezz. Can't get better than that! Seeing every cast. Also got my ticket for the ABT showing at the Gugginheim Works and Process. ( Nov. 7th and 8th)

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Marzipan shepherdesses from Denmark who look like Chelsea China figures, play on their mirliton-flutes.

Mother Ginger and her Children are popular French bonbons

36 flowers made of cake icing dance a grand ballabile.

I only recently learned (from an earlier post in these forums, most likely) that the Marzipan section represented Denmark. I was under the misapprehension that they were supposed to be French. Also, and this is new to me here, I had thought the Commedia del Arte-inspired Polichinelles were Italian. Nor had I understood that the Flowers were also actually sweets.

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Marzipan shepherdesses from Denmark who look like Chelsea China figures, play on their mirliton-flutes.

Mother Ginger and her Children are popular French bonbons

36 flowers made of cake icing dance a grand ballabile.

I only recently learned (from an earlier post in these forums, most likely) that the Marzipan section represented Denmark. I was under the misapprehension that they were supposed to be French. Also, and this is new to me here, I had thought the Commedia del Arte-inspired Polichinelles were Italian. Nor had I understood that the Flowers were also actually sweets.

Carbro...I even knew LESS than that...I didn't even know about the candy canes-(yes, I knew about Balanchine's claim, but wasn't sure about it up until I saw Mel's transcription...My previous experience with the Russian Dance had been Alonso's Three Ivans/Trepak). And that's exactly my point about the ideal reconstruction. In between the candy canes, bonbons, marzipan, icing cake flowers and the rest, along with what I supposed would be self explanatory original costume and set designs, I think this ballet could finally make so much more sense, and the story could finally be "seen" in all its glory...

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Marzipan shepherdesses from Denmark who look like Chelsea China figures, play on their mirliton-flutes.

Mother Ginger and her Children are popular French bonbons

36 flowers made of cake icing dance a grand ballabile.

I only recently learned (from an earlier post in these forums, most likely) that the Marzipan section represented Denmark. I was under the misapprehension that they were supposed to be French. Also, and this is new to me here, I had thought the Commedia del Arte-inspired Polichinelles were Italian. Nor had I understood that the Flowers were also actually sweets.

Carbro...I even knew LESS than that...I didn't even know about the candy canes-(yes, I knew about Balanchine's claim, but wasn't sure about it up until I saw Mel's transcription...My previous experience with the Russian Dance had been Alonso's Three Ivans/Trepak). And that's exactly my point about the ideal reconstruction. In between the candy canes, bonbons, marzipan, icing cake flowers and the rest, along with what I supposed would be self explanatory original costume and set designs, I think this ballet could finally make so much more sense, and the story could finally be "seen" in all its glory...

In the 1958 Playhouse 90 telecast of the original Balanchine version I mentioned earlier there is a lot of narration. The way the show is laid out, June Lockheart is telling the story to her small daughter and the dancing is fitted in between the narrative sections. It's a bit annoying for me but was probably done that way to make it a little more accessible to an audience which included a lot of people with no exposure at all to ballet.

Anyway, the narrative plays up the delicious, edible quality of all the numbers in the Land of the Sweets. So maybe it wasn't so dumb after all!

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From Dance Magazine.

DM- "And what about the Nutcracker for ABT in December? Will it be a Russian Nutcracker or an American Nutcracker?

AR- It probably will be somewhere in between, like I am—hanging between the traditions and styles and expectations. Nutcracker is challenging because everyone knows what they want to see. And everything has been done already. If the tree does not grow, people will be upset. My main concern is to listen to the music because the score is so great. It’s the reason the Nutcracker exists. You can’t jump over Tchaikovsky. And every day you listen differently. You’re a different person and the life around you is different. Even though I’ve made a Nutcracker for Royal Danish in 2001, and I started one at the Kirov".

http://dancemagazine.com/issues/February-2009/Between-Two-Worlds-expanded-version

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I was at the Guggenheim's Works & Process session yesterday, on the ABT Nutcracker. The dancers who demonstrated small excerpts from the ballet included (i) Daniil Simkin, as part of his solo, (ii) the two pairs of young Claras and Nutcracker Prines played by boys, and (iii) a trio of male corps members, including Michael Illyin, who portrayed an amusing/whimsically choreographed excerpt towards the end of the performance that I could not tell the context for.

Panel

Wes Chapman, Moderator

Ratmansky, Choreographer

Richard Hudson, Set and Costume Designer

Ormsby Wilkins, Music Director

-- Spanish Dance

Jessica Saund, Sara Smit

Gray David, Roddy Doble

-- Coaching of Clara and Nutcracker Prince (Act I) by Ratmansky

JKO School Dancers

Theodore Elliman

Catherine Hurlin

Mikaela Kelly

Tyler Maloney

-- Coaching of one person cast in principal role, by Ratmansky

Yesterday: Daniil S

Tonight: Veronika Part

-- Coaching of the Russian Dance, by Ratmansky

Kenneth Easter, Jeffrey Golladay, Mikhail Illyin (there was not much coaching last night, due to time constraints)

Some aspects I recall from the event:

-- Ratmansky is staying true to the original Tchaikovsky score, and at the pace intended by the composer. That means that there is no slowing down like in certain other productions for the male principal solo. While conceding that Daniil is quick late on, Ratmansky did give Daniil S a number of pointers about transitioning more quickly into entrechat six, doing cerain steps more crisply. He gave Daniil S at least three or four pointers, and Daniil had to dance portions f the excerpt again to reflect Ratmansky's suggestions. The male principal's solo will be quite fast and technically challenging. There was no moving of excerpts around, or shortening or lengthening excerpts from the original score.

-- We receiveda walk-through of the backdrops and backgrounds, some of which are shown in the ABT online "book" I linked yesterday. A lot of turqoise and blue hues for the land of the sweets. The large Christmas tree will be on the same scene as a large chair, which will be shown on the right of the stage from the audience's perspective.

-- There will be a Sugar Plum Fairy in the land of the sweets, but her role is not the principal female role, which goes to the adult Clara that is envisioned in that scene.

-- The first scene is in the kitchen of the household of Clara's family. People are preparing foods, and there are a lot of sausages and simmering large pots in the background.

-- The child Clara and the Nutcracker Prince (boy danseur) will, it appears, be present in large segments of the production. Only after the two arrive in the land of the sweets (after Drosselmeyer takes them there on a sleigh) and there is certain dancing would the adult Clara and the male principal danseur appear (presumably as a dream realized or a dream?, according to the ABT online site on thisproduction). There was no explanation of the effect that having children performing in key roles in such large portions of the ballet would have on the appeal of the ballet, or the pros/cons considered to this approach.

-- Both the child Claras are red-haired, like Gillian Murphy. They both have pale skin, like Murphy. One of them is considerably taller than the other. They both acted well with their bodies as well as their faces.

-- The bumble bee-costumed danseurs will accompany ballerinas (from the corps, likely) who will be dressed in a lush medium pink costume intended to evoke a flower, with ombre effects. This was only one of a number of costumes shown to us by the costume designer, who was quite eloquent and who is most famous for the Lion King musical production prior to this. Some of the costumes for the other dolls that Drosselmeyer brings to the party are quite beautiful (eg a pair in black and white, with contrasting colors of squares on different parts of their costumes, the female costume having an Elizabethan-type stark collar).

-- Some of the costumes (eg the young Clara's empire-waisted whitish gown at the party) are inspired by the Biedermeier period. Clara's father is in a lush hunter green velvet jacket, with tails behind. Clara's mother sports a lush burgundy colored dress.

-- Ratmansky came across as a very effective and talented ballet person. His English is quite good, and he spoke eloquently and had a good sense of where he wanted to take the ballet.

-- The dancers were in their workout clothing. For example, Daniil S sported bright orange/other colored legwarmers. The young Claras wore light pink leotards, and the Nutcracker Princes black leotart bottoms with white shirts.

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Some interesting information about the Ratmansky Nutcracker:

http://www.abt.org/nutcracker/index.html

I LOVE this Nutcracker story book idea! Genius. It's so easy to flip through the pages, the photography is beautiful...I especially love the picture of Gillian Murphy on the Thank You Notes page. She looks gorgeous!

This story book gives you all the information that you want to see and provides cute, homey details like the dancers' recipes. It really gives you the feel of reading a book, but better. Whoever came up with this story book idea... :clapping:

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I was also at the Works and Process last evening. These presentations are usually quite engaging and for the most part entertaining. I found last night's event to be rather dull and uninspired. There was very little actual dancing (perhaps because the company has just returned from Cuba), and no principles or soloists other than Simkin made an appearance. Taken out of context and in isolation, and also given a very truncated rendering, the dancing seemed airless. The children were OK, but I hope they will be more involved come the bigger stage at BAM or else they simply won't read. Pantomime is so difficult to do, even for adult dancers. These children still need lots of coaching. For me, while all the talking and explanations of what is to be and what the costumes, etc. will look like, and all the explanations about the score, etc. are certainly interesting in the end it's a lot of talk. I am positive Ratmansky, Hudson, and Wilkins are all talented, gifted and erudite men. Too bad a lot of what they were saying couldn't be heard or understood. They mostly spoke to each other (facing moderator Wes Chapman) and not to us, the audience! (and I was in the front row!) Seminars need to pull us in to the discussion, not just throw facts at us. (boy what a lot of awards these guys have accrued!). I'm not saying the evening needed a director's eye, but it surely would have made the night better if some judicious editing was involved. And I think the evening would have benefited a lot from a bit more dancing. We come to these events to see the dancing, or at least to be inspired to attend a performance. I left last night feeling numb and hoping a growing Christmas tree will restore my spirits.

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I also attended the Works & Process last night. I must politely disagree with mymsib - I found the evening thoroughly engaging. I've attended two others in the past, both ABT evenings, one of which was with Frederic Franklin. Well, you can't compete with Mr. Franklin for personality, but I thought all the gentlemen that spoke were extremely interesting and when Wes Chapman added his dry wit, there were many laughs. A point perhaps mymsib or Ambonnay can clear up - wasn't that Tobin Eason and not Gray Davis in the Spanish dance? Yes, I would have liked more dancing but since the company had just returned from Havana I had decided not to hope for any principals. I was delighted to see Mr. Simkin being coached in the pas de deux. It's very fast and as Mr. Ratmansky commented in regard to the speed, "all of them will have to be fast!" I think the taller Princes (Hallberg and Gomes) will have their work cut out for them! I left feeling very intrigued by the costume/set designs and Mr. Ratmanky's concepts and very much looking forward to this new Nutcracker.

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The first scene is in the kitchen of the household of Clara's family. People are preparing foods, and there are a lot of sausages and simmering large pots in the background.

:o

The child Clara and the Nutcracker Prince (boy danseur) will, it appears, be present in large segments of the production. Only after the two arrive in the land of the sweets (after Drosselmeyer takes them there on a sleigh) and there is certain dancing would the adult Clara and the male principal danseur appear (presumably as a dream realized or a dream?...

Ah...here we go again with the ever present old Nutcracker issue...

I wonder if ABT will end up with just another incarnation of the Pseudo-Freudian-Kirkland/Misha production... :dry:

There was no explanation of the effect that having children performing in key roles in such large portions of the ballet would have on the appeal of the ballet, or the pros/cons considered to this approach.

(yawn)

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Ambonnay, on 06 November 2010 - 07:50 PM, said:

Some interesting information about the Ratmansky Nutcracker:

http://www.abt.org/n...cker/index.html

I LOVE this Nutcracker story book idea! Genius. It's so easy to flip through the pages, the photography is beautiful...I especially love the picture of Gillian Murphy on the Thank You Notes page. She looks gorgeous!

This story book gives you all the information that you want to see and provides cute, homey details like the dancers' recipes. It really gives you the feel of reading a book, but better. Whoever came up with this story book idea...

This is super exciting - a world premiere of a ballet with music by Tchaikovsky!! I bet it's going to be a hit. I wonder how Ratmansky discovered the long-lost score and came up with such an engaging and original story. After all, he must have done that, because none of Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and ETA Hoffman nor any previous production of this ballet are mentioned anywhere in the story book. :angel_not:

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