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The Nutcracker On Tour
Every adaptation of The Nutcracker is the same, yet each The Nutcracker is different from all others. Although it premiered in Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre on December 18, 1892, composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker wouldn't become the dependably magical holiday-season reaffirmation of Christmas joy we know and love until decades later.
Marius Petipa, who commissioned Tchaikovsky's music, and Lev Ivanov originally choreographed the world's most popular ballet. It was loosely based on Alexandre Dumas' The Story of a Nutcracker, the French writer's adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which was a fantastical story by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann. Mourning the recent death of his sister, Tchaikovsky was often unhappy while composing the work, which he nonetheless imbued with some of his most enduringly gorgeous music. (The descending melody in the adagio section of the "Grand Pas de Deux" is said to reflect his feelings.)
Russian ballet was flourishing at the time The Nutcracker debuted, and no expense was spared. In Petipa's production, 60 snowflakes wore long white tutus and matching crowns adorned with fluff balls. The battle scene's soldiers, meanwhile, were recruited from a military academy rather than ballet school, leading to a less-than-elegant confrontation.
The Nutcracker was fated to become more popular abroad than in its birthplace, and was subsequently tailored to suit its new audiences. Encouraged by local Russian émigrés, Willam Christensen mounted the first full American production in San Francisco in 1944. Ten years later, George Balanchine choreographed a landmark version for the New York City Ballet, imbuing it with what Nutcracker Nation author Jennifer Fisher calls its "familial feeling." Balanchine's version was broadcast on national television a few years later with narration by June Lockhart (of Lassie fame).
While nearly every subsequent version of The Nutcracker contains falling snow, fighting mice, dancing candy, and a growing tree (asked to produce it without the tree, Balanchine reportedly replied, "No, the ballet is the tree"), some intriguing mutations have emerged. These include Nutcrackers on ice, the animated adaptation Walt Disney included in the 1940 movie Fantasia, and The Harlem Nutcracker, a swinging jazz revision by choreographer Donald Byrd.
A remarkably resilient blend of complex classical ballet, popular imagery, and holiday nostalgia, The Nutcracker has taken on a life of its own since it first appeared one cold Russian winter over 100 years ago.
My 20 yr old daughter went with me. We had a wonderful time. First time for us both to attend any ballet. So glad we went. Memories to last a lifetime ❤️
I wasn’t sure what to expect but what I received was magic. The music, dancing and artistry was all first rate. The Tilles Center is a great place to hear music. The sets while simple were very nice. I will be seeing the Nutcracker again.
It was mine and my mother's first ballet and it was amazing wonderful and we're planning on seeing it again next year
It was very good, a bit long but very talented dancers. Orchestra was terrific!
The nutcracker was fantastic! Looking forward to attending again in the future
At least my kids enjoyed it but we expected a much more professional performance and group for $60 a ticket! Felt like I was almost st my daughters dance recital especially in the beginning.
We continued our traditional of "girls day" at the Genesee. The Nutcracker was beautifully performed - our grand daughters were awed by the music and ballet. Well done!!
There was barely any ballet dancing. Even my 10 yr old was disappointed and complaining. We left during intermission. When the girls danced in the white tutus, it was nice but you could hear their point shoes really loud and We were sitting all the way up
Amazingly elegant! I vaguely recall seeing a minor production of The Nutcracker as a child, but this was simply wonderful. Bought these tickets as a Christmas gift for my wife and she was astounded. We both truly loved it and plan to go again next year.
I was so impressed with the professional level of this ballet company. And I also appreciated the relaxed environment which was the opposite of some other theaters I’ve been before. Not to mention the parking access was also a plus.
This was my first time seeing the Nutcracker. The music, dancing and costumes were beautiful! I can't wait to see it next year.
El Paso Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker production is beautifully appointed—costumes, sets, special effects are all extremely high quality. The dancers are mostly local and are VERY well trained and rehearsed. The principal couples are absolutely a joy to watch. The professional guest male dancers really elevate the performance and give El Paso audiences a wonderful opportunity to see fully professional male dancers. In general, I think it’s absolutely fair to say that with this production, EPBT has established itself as a quality regional ballet company. It’s wonderful for our El Paso/Las Cruces/Juarez community. Make this your local Nutcracker tradition!
Appreciated the music most, but the whole thing brought back memories of childhood.
Play was very nice- beautiful dancing. But from now I will use Count Basie box office somehow I got on Ticketmaster and couldn’t get hold of them to change to Sat 9th - box office helped me!!!
It was excellent, dancing great, costumes beautiful. Would recommend it to anyone.
Beaumont Civic ballet always does such a wonderful job on this ballet. Loved the ballet. The choreography this year was not as entertaining as previous years but still great
The ballet was nice, but it appeared we were attending a recital, not an actual ballet. While there were adults dancing in the show, the majority of the dancers were school aged girls and the people around us were calling out names and cheering loudly for their family members. I agree 100% that family support is the most important thing, but the people around us were rude and extremely noisy. The row behind us was very busy and talked throughout the entire show. The row in front of us had a group of 4-5 adults who were sharing a vaping device of some sort, so we had this random vapor or smoke with odd smells going on as well. This was not an event I will pay to go see again. Next year, I'll go to Houston to see the real one.
I was disappointment because they charge the play around. The music was just ok. We couldn't really hear the musics.
The show was awesome! The dancers were amazing! Took my inspireing ballerina and she loved it! An new family tradition from now on!
My entire family loved it, young and old. I would see a ballet there again.