Helene Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 I just watched Ballet Arizona's pandemic-adapted version of The Nutcracker, and it was delightful! I think I had to put aside plans to travel to Phoenix to see this in person at least three times since the production premiered, but maybe vaccine distribution will be in time for 2021. I'm not sure when they got the footage of the party scene, because the structure was that Jillian Barrell told the story of Act I until the Snow Queen and King and Snowflakes scene to those clips. There was also a brief intro to Act II. Since I haven't seen the production live, I'm not sure how much of Act II was changed because there were no children onstage -- there were a few members of the Studio Company and School in Angels and the ensembles -- but there was a lot of wonderful choreography. I also loved that the Arabian followed Hot Chocolate then followed by Tea, because, musically, I think it makes far more sense dynamically. The filming was done beautifully. The dancers wore masks, and there were safety protocols. I can't tell if the dancers were filmed in smaller groups with a lot of film editing and splicing, but it looked seamless to me. Tickets are available for virtual viewing this weekend and next. The performance is available from Saturday-Sunday afternoon, 24 hours in total. Link to comment
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