It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Celebrate the season by dressing to the nines and attending a performance of “The Nutcracker,” a holiday tradition.
“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and was first performed in 1892. It is loosely based on a German fairytale by E.T.A. Hoffmann titled “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King.” In the ballet, a young girl befriends a Christmas nutcracker who comes to life on Christmas Eve and battles a mouse king. The ballet’s debut was presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. The performance had lackluster reviews, and the ballerina who played the Sugar Plum Fairy was highly criticized for her performance.
The unique chiming sounds of the celesta inspired Tchaikovsky to write the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. A celesta is a small keyboard instrument with a bell-like sound. Tchaikovsky had to smuggle a celesta into Russia from Paris for the performance.
While the ballet’s debut failed to hit the mark, future performances helped increase its popularity, and “The Nutcracker” is the most frequently performed ballet today. The ballet was first performed outside Russia in England in 1934 and hit stages in the United States in 1944. The New York City Ballet performed George Balanchine’s version of “The Nutcracker” to wide acclaim. The popularity of the performance took off, and it is often the first introduction many children have to the art and beauty of ballet. Dance schools across the country help fuel the ballet’s popularity by making it a Christmas staple. High ticket sales for performances of “The Nutcracker” during the Christmas season often help fund ballet companies for the entire season’s productions, Time reported.
Fred Astaire Dance Studios celebrates the holiday season at its local studios by offering a place for people to brush up on their ballroom dance skills. Many studios use elements of ballet as part of their dance lessons, particularly when it comes to pre-dance lesson stretching. Originally inspired by Fred Astaire’s superb style of dancing, Fred Astaire Dance Studios’ ballroom dance curriculum covers the full range of American, Latin-American, International Style, Exhibition/Theater Arts dances, and more. Ballroom dancing is a fun, social hobby that has the added bonus of improving both your physical and mental health.
Nutcracker Performance Sets Holiday Mood
Take a look at some of these performances of “The Nutcracker” to help put you in a holiday mood and get your toes tapping.
YouTube dancing sensation, Audrey Nethery, learns and performs a dance from “The Nutcracker” with The New York City Ballet on the “Rachel Ray Show.”
Walt Disney’s remake of the beloved ballet, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” stars Claire Foy and Morgan Freeman. Its live action, elaborate costumes, and fast-paced storyline are a crowd-pleaser.
In this clip, the familiar bell-like tones of the celesta are immediately recognizable when Morgan Fairchild of The New York City Ballet performs “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”
Learn More About FADS
If seeing “The Nutcracker” performed on stage during the holidays inspires you to get up and dance, schedule a lesson at your local Fred Astaire Dance Studios location to learn some new dances in a fun, social environment.
