Leigh Witchel Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Avant-propos - this thread is an offshoot of a discussion on Dracula in "Issues in Ballet". Nanatchka's modest proposal was simply too tempting to pass up on, but I thought it deserved its own enclave separate from the original topic. It seems to be everywhere, at least in America - Halloween arrives and ballet companies are now trotting out their versions of Dracula. [snip] What do you think? Is a company that's doing Dracula in the fall, Nutcracker in the winter and Cinderella in the spring doing what it ought to be doing, or doing what it needs to do to survive? (Or both!) Link to comment
Nanatchka Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 What do I think? I think they should combine them. So many narrative possibilities. Link to comment
Leigh Witchel Posted October 7, 2002 Author Share Posted October 7, 2002 Once upon a time. . .Cinderella, after a particularly zesty Christmas meal in the palace of deep-fried Ostrich and chili-corn fritters, found herself alone in the palace as night falls. . . A rustle is heard behind the arras as she sensed a black cloaked figure gliding, or perhaps bourree'ing, toward her. Next? Link to comment
Watermill Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Wait...I'm having a vision...Rite of Spring...every April 15th...danced by accountants! Link to comment
Farrell Fan Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 The figure gliding toward Cinderella is none other than Herr Drosselmeyer. But the kindly, if slightly daft, old codger has an evil glint in his eye, as he bids Cinderella "Goood evening. Let me show you my new, late-model Nutcracker." When he opens the Nutcracker's jaws, two horrible bloody fangs are revealed. Cinderella emits a blood-curdling scream... Link to comment
Manhattnik Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Let's see. Drosselmeyer, who likes to skulk around at night wearing capes, is, of course, a somewhat over-the-hill Dracula. The Nutcracker is the spirit of the Prince from Cinderella, whom he's entrapped in Nutcracker form. Instead of a battle between soldiers and mice under the Christmas tree, we have a battle between the forces of Light (hmm. Maybe toy soldiers would still work, led by Prince Charming/Nut) and Darkness (vampires led by Drossel/Drac, of course). Just when it looks like it's curtains for the Nutcracker and everyone else, Clara/Masha/Marie/Buffy/whatevertheheckhernameistonight tosses her toe shoe (like any good ballerina wannabe, she sleeps in them) at Dross/Drac, discracting him enough so that Prince Nut can dispatch him with a freshly sharpened Faber No. 2 pencil. At which point, Masha/Clarie/Sissy runs off, horrified at the sight of blood or whatever Droc/Dross has in his veins. The last act is a lightly restaged pastiche of Paquita and Apollo, in which each Princess-wannabee tries on the Magic Toeshoe (it might as well be magic, no?) and dances a sprightly variation or three in hopes of winning Prince Nut's heart, or at least his bank account. Sasha/Phoebe/Marie-Claire is, of course, just a kid and incapable of doing more than a mere five triple fouettes, so she must instead capture the Prince's attention by smacking him on the head with the OTHER toe shoe, which, if he'd had any brains, he'd already have been searching for.... There. My day's work is done. Link to comment
Juliet Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 "The figure gliding toward Cinderella is none other than Herr Drosselmeyer. But the kindly, if slightly daft, old codger has an evil glint in his eye, as he bids Cinderella "Goood evening. Let me show you my new, late-model Nutcracker." When he opens the Nutcracker's jaws, two horrible bloody fangs are revealed. Cinderella emits a blood-curdling scream..." Sounds like Eifman to me........ Don't forget the glitter for the other pointe shoe; you don't want a faux Princess stepping lightly into the final variation (or 14...) ************** Actually I have always been interested in seeing the Dracula which was originally made on Northern Ballet Theatre, with the Philip Feeney music....I know nothing other than it looks like a very interesting production. Has anyone seen or danced in it? Other than that one, I am not even slightly interested in Dracula.... Link to comment
Treefrog Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 Thank you guys so much! After laughing so heartily, I lost all of today's crotchety-ness. Link to comment
BW Posted October 9, 2002 Share Posted October 9, 2002 Wait! This can't be a politically correct version can it?:eek: I'm having a bit of trouble with the pointe shoe throwing in Act II...in reality this pointe shoe is actually a crucifix...or is it the Faber No. 2 pencil that should be the crucifix? All I know is that historically speaking, in order to make this story real, there must be a crucifix. Perhaps Sasha/Masha/Cinderella/Mina wears the crucifix in her pointe shoe? So far, my favorite image is "the black cloaked figure bouree'ing towards her"...maybe it's a ring wraith? Link to comment
piccolo Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 When I went to ballet school in Japan, the resident company's choreographer did Dracula & the Red Shoes as one story. Pretty cool - and she won a national award for it, too. Thought you guys might have some fun with that tossed in the mix... Link to comment
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