All World Dance: News for Lovers of Dance

Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! Tours UK & Ireland

Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! on DVD [Source: Amazon]

"Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!" is currently holding court at Sadler's Wells in London through January 22nd with a whole series of dates to follow in the UK and Ireland deep into 2012.

The "irreverent" production premiered in 1992, on the hundredth anniversary of the first performance of "The Nutcracker", and is now in the midst of its own 20th Anniversary tour!

Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! Promo Montage [Source: New Adventures]

Bourne's Nutcracker opens with a Christmas party staged in a "bittersweet" location in order to make later sweets that much more desirable. As Matthew Bourne describes it:

"We came up [with] the notion of an awful Dickensian orphanage, enjoying the annual Christmas Eve visit of the Institute’s Governors. Dr Dross and his wife, who run the orphanage, contrive to create a pleasant Christmas atmosphere for the benefit of the visitors, only to snatch the Governors gifts back from the children as soon as they leave and before Christmas day has even begun."

"Clara is, of course, one of the Orphans and the Nutcracker boy is a fellow orphan on whom she has a young girls crush. Fritz and Sugar are the Dross’ awful spoilt children who terrorise the other children. So the basis for the whole story developed out of this grim and fearful place. I should say, though, that as well as having this bittersweet quality it is also very funny, and when the Orphans eventually revolt and escape from the clutches of Dr Dross you want to cheer them on."

Official Site: Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!

Available at Amazon: Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! on DVD

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance
The Hard Nut: A Mark Morris Nutcracker

The National Ballet of Canada Presents The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker Trailer [Source: The National Ballet of Canada]

The National Ballet of Canada is performing "The Nutcracker" in Toronto through January 3rd.

The current production first premiered in 1995:

"with choreography by James Kudelka and sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto. The story is told through the eyes of sister and brother Marie and Misha who are played by students from Canada’s National Ballet School."

The Nutcracker - Backstage [Source: The National Ballet of Canada]

More from the official site:

"Kudelka's gentle re-shaping of the narrative releases the story (based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's Christmas tale) into new thematic territory. Follow the quarrelling siblings Misha and Marie as they move not just through marvellous and extraordinary experiences but through surprising phases of understanding as they prepare to leave childhood behind and enter the very different world of adolescence."

"The costumes and sets by Santo Loquasto themselves cast a spell, evoking an enchanted, rustic world of long-gone Imperial Russia, a place where folk rituals and the cycles of nature make way for the magical, ice-coated world of the Snow Queen and the spectacular beauty of the golden palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance

English National Ballet Presents Wayne Eagling's The Nutcracker at The London Coliseum

Highlights from Wayne Eagling's The Nutcracker
[Source: English National Ballet]

English National Ballet is in the midst of a run of Wayne Eagling's "The Nutcracker" at the London Coliseum through December 30.

The production features choreography by Wayne Eagling to Tchaikovsky's classic score. It's based on a "concept by Toer van Schayk and Wayne Eagling" with scenic design by Peter Farmer and lighting by David Richardson.

From Wayne Eagling's The Nutcracker [Photo: Annabel Moeller]

English National Ballet has already made quite a few appearances at All World Dance:

English National Ballet's Summer Party to Include Designer Tutu Auction
(Plus Shoes & Tiaras!)

English National Ballet Restages Strictly Gershwin

English National Ballet Dancers Help Sufferers of Parkinson's Disease

Official Site: English National Ballet - The Nutcracker

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance

Dutch National Ballet Presents The Nutcracker & the Mouse King in Cinemas

The Nutcracker & the Mouse King in Cinemas [Source: Het Nationale Ballet]

Het Nationale Ballet aka the Dutch National Ballet is presenting The Nutcracker & the Mouse King in theaters worldwide on December 30.

The film will be shown in Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Spain, United Kingdom and Switzerland.

You can find out more on The Nutcracker & the Mouse King in theaters at Het Nationale Ballet's site. If you don't speak Dutch but do speak English, here's a translated version.

Via TenduTV.

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance
TenduTV Presents Nutcracker Trailers 2011
TenduTV Brings Dutch National Ballet's Don Quichot (Don Quixote) to iTunes

New York City Ballet Presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker in Movie Theaters Worldwide

 

New York City Ballet Presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker in Movie Theatres [Source: Omniverse Vision]

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker was not the first staging of this Russian classic in the U.S. but the New York City Ballet's production, that premiered in 1954, went on to become not only a local favorite but the inspiration for The Nutcracker craze that eventually swept the nation. I'm not clear on how The Nutcracker made its way around the world, but Balanchine can certainly be credited for its popularity in the States.

On December 13th, a performance of The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet will be streamed live in movie theaters across the U.S. for a single night nationwide.

In late December and early January, NYCB's The Nutcracker will be shown in theaters worldwide including the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Iceland. I cannot tell if this is a live or recorded version but if it was live I assume they would be letting people know since that makes it an even more special event.

If you know of other countries in which George Balanchine's The Nutcracker is being shown in theaters, please let me know at: clyde(at)allworlddance(dot)com.

I'm really happy to see such live events being streamed in movie theaters. When I was young (said grandpa!) growing up in the States, movie theaters were a special place to see great films and they've had some ups and downs with the growth of competitors from video and DVDs to cable tv and, now, online streaming of movies. It's nice to know that advances in technology are also working to their advantage in settings where movie theaters are not as competitive as they used to be.

Available at Amazon: George Balanchine's The Nutcracker

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance

The Joffrey Ballet Presents Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker

Fabrice Calmels & Victoria Jalani in Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker
[Photo: Herbert Migdoll]

The Joffrey Ballet presents Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker in Chicago from December 9 through 27. From the company announcement:

"The curtains rose on The Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker on December 10, 1987...at the University of Iowa, with the production then embarking on a national tour. Since then, The Joffrey Ballet has maintained the most Nutcracker tour dates of any major ballet company in the country, easily making it America's #1 Nutcracker. The year marks the launch of the 25th anniversary of Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker, culminating in 2012 with an official Silver Anniversary celebration."

Nutcracker Promo Video [Source: The Joffrey Ballet]

"When Robert Joffrey choreographed The Nutcracker with the help of his Co-Founder Gerald Arpino, he replaced the traditional European setting common in other Nutcracker productions with a 19th century American home, populating it with toys from his own childhood."

Anastacia Holden & Matthew Adamczyk in Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker
[Photo: Herbert Migdoll]

"The full Joffrey company is joined onstage by 118 young dancers from Chicago and beyond...In addition to the young dancers, young vocalists from five different local children's choirs will perform the choral parts from the magical Snow Scene throughout the run of The Nutcracker...The Chicago Sinfonietta provides live accompaniment of the classic score by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky for every performance."

Ashley C. Wheater on The Nutcracker [Source: Dance Channel TV]

The Joffrey Ballet's Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater shares some history and personal insights regarding Joffrey's Nutcracker.

Official Site: Joffrey Ballet - The Nutcracker

Available at Amazon:
Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Dance Company, An Excerpt from the Upcoming The Nutcracker [Kindle Edition]
The Joffrey Ballet Dances the Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center, Photographic Poster Print by Sisse Brinberg, 18x24

Related All World Dance Coverage:
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Joins Joffrey Ballet Board as Honorary Chairman
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance

Houston Ballet Presents Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker

Sara Webb & Emily Bowen in Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker
[Photo: Amitava Sarkar]

Houston Ballet presents its annual production of The Nutcracker, already in progress through December 27, a tradition that began in 1972. According to the company:

"In 1976, Houston Ballet presented the production with revised choreography by the company's new artistic director Ben Stevenson. In 1987, the current production with designs by Desmond Heeley, lighting by Duane Schuler, and choreography by Mr. Stevenson was unveiled to a glowing critical response...[and has been] seen by over 1,000,000 people since its premiere 24 years ago."

Charles-Louis Yoshiyama in Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker
[Photo: Amitava Sarkar]

The production sounds quite impressive with such special effects as a "Christmas tree which 'grows' to 40 feet, 200 pounds of 'snow' falling during the snow scene, and the firing of a cannon onstage." The dancers are accompanied by the Houston Ballet Orchestra under music director Ermanno Florio.

For related video:

Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker

Interview with Artistic Director Stanton Welch about The Nutcracker

Houston Ballet's Nutcracker Market [Source: Houston Ballet]

Like many large ballet companies, such as English National Ballet, Houston Ballet has found creative ways to address the enormous funding needs of maintaining a major arts organization. In 1981, Houston Ballet launched Nutcracker Market, a "Holiday Shopping Wonderland", featuring numerous merchants and a large crew of volunteers. Not only is it a great approach to fundraising but it's an excellent way to kick off the season of The Nutcracker.

One sign of Houston Ballet's success, now overseen by Artistic Director Stanton Welch, was their move earlier this year into an impressive new Center for Dance in downtown Houston. On a related note, my post about this news was the first at All World Dance following my welcoming announcement!

Official Site: Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker

Related All World Dance Coverage:
Houston Ballet to Open Center for Dance in Downtown
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance

The Nutcracker Meets Manhattan in The Knickerbocker Suite with the Manhattan Youth Ballet

The Knickerbocker Suite Poster [Source: MMAC]

The Manhattan Movement & Arts Center recently announced this year's performance by the Manhattan Youth Ballet in a unique take on The Nutcracker called The Knickerbocker Suite running December 15 through 18:

"The Knickerbocker Suite features New York City landmarks, such as The Statue of Liberty, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and NY sports teams, weaved into the time-honored holiday tale of The Nutcracker. Classic Nutcracker scenes like 'The Land of the Snow' will be transformed to a snowy frenzy of shoppers dancing in and out of stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's...while 'The Land of Sweets' will be accompanied by street vendors and roasted chestnuts...'Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles,' will be played by the Statue of Liberty and dancing immigrants who just arrived from Ellis Island. "

Manhattan Youth Ballet in The Knickerbocker Suite [Source: MMAC]

The Knickerbocker Suite has involved some great design choices, for example, the background shown in the pictures above and below from a previous production. This year's production will feature:

"a new set design from Adam Koch, a backdrop photo project from Erin Baiano, and a battle scene using shadow puppetry, the visual elements in The Knickerbocker Suite are striking."

The Knickerbocker Suite Backdrop [Source: MMAC]

The upcoming production of The Knickerbocker Suite is "choreographed by Manhattan Youth Ballet Artistic Advisor, Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet) and Nick Kepley (currently performing on Broadway in Mary Poppins)."

Official Site: Manhattan Movement & Arts Center - The Knickerbocker Suite

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance

PNB Presents Stowell & Sendak's Nutcracker

Nutcracker Trailer [Source: PNB]

Pacific Northwest Ballet's annual production of Nutcracker kicked off this weekend running till December 27th. PNB's Nutcracker is set to the traditional music of Tchaikovsky and presents a collaborative effort between choreographer Kent Stowell and author/illustrator Maurice Sendak first staged in 1983. Sendak created both costume and set designs for this unique production.

On Being a Party Girl [Source: PNB]

The Nutcracker is an important rite of passage for many young ballerinas. In the above video short a young dancer named Mimi talks about her experience as a "Party Girl" in PNB's Nutcracker.

Pacific Northwest Ballet also produced a children's book about their Nutcracker and Maurice Sendak produced an illustrated version of E.T.A. Hoffman's Nutcracker tale.

PNB's Nutcracker - Flowers Excerpt [Source: PNB]

The Nutcracker is also an important experience for "big girls" who appear in this excerpt of Flowers from Nutcracker featuring PNB soloist, Lindsi Dec as Flora.

And here's an interesting look at ballerina Jessika Anspach who has performed three roles in a single night of Nutcracker, an experience known as Triple Whammy.

Official Site: PNB's Nutcracker

Available at Amazon:
Maurice Sendak & E.T.A. Hoffman's Nutcracker
Book: The Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Nutcracker
Nutcracker: The Motion Picture: VHS ~ Streaming ~ Download

Related All World Dance Coverage:
The Nutcracker - All Posts at All World Dance 

Notorious IBE 2011 Highlights from Heerlen, Holland to Blitz the Ambassador's B-Boy Massacre

The Notorious IBE 2011 "All Battles All" Official Recap [Source: YAK FILMS]

Highlight reel from The Notorious IBE 2011 All Battles All competition.

Hot track from Blitz the Ambassador except for dissing the South.

Tell it to 9th Wonder and Big K.R.I.T.!

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Amazing Highlight Reel from the Braun Battle of the Year U.S. Qualifier