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Tuzer Ballet Company Presents "The Nutcracker" – Hill Performance Hall

"The Nutcracker" Presented by Tuzer Ballet Company on Saturday, December 22, at 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. ($40 Value)

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Thu Nov 08 05:59:59 UTC 2012
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  • T460x279
  • Good for Kids
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In a Nutshell

Local ballet presents classic holiday tale of magical toys, villainous rats, and enchanting journeys through music-filled wonderland

The Fine Print

The Nutcracker dazzles children’s eyes, but it also confirms their deep suspicion that toys come to life, even when no one is looking or poking them repeatedly with cattle prods. Feel the season’s electricity with this GrouponLive deal to see the Tuzer Ballet Company’s Production of The Nutcracker at Hill Performance Hall at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. For $20, you get one ticket for orchestra floor seating on Saturday, December 22 (a $40 value). Doors open one hour before each performance. Choose between the following showtimes:

  • 2 p.m.
  • 7 p.m.

The Plot

Based on a novel by the 19th-century romantic fabulist E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker weaves a magical tale of holiday adventure. Clara, the story's heroine, receives a nutcracker from her godfather, a wizardly toymaker named Drosselmeyer. Sneaking downstairs to see the toy after everyone else has gone to bed, Clara suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of a pitched battle between the toys and an army of mice. After saving the nutcracker with a well-thrown shoe to the Mouse King's head, Clara and her now-living prince venture into the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets to celebrate amid the dances of nimble snowflakes, the regal Sugar Plum Fairy, and seasonally confused vampires.  

The Music 

Tchaikovsky’s score features some of the most recognizable tunes in the repertoire, repurposed beyond the ballet world in works including Disney's Fantasia, which naturally chose to illustrate the music’s delicate beauty with dancing mushrooms and leaping radishes. Notable sections include the “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” which floats weightlessly above the angelic voices of a youth choir, and the second act's medley of exotic national dances, including a Spanish bolero and Russian Trepak. The music-box-like theme of the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” springs from a celesta, a new instrument Tchaikovsky came across in Paris and hurriedly inserted into the score before his musical rivals could make use of its haunting, bell-like sound. 

History Lesson

Initially unpopular when it premiered in Russia, the Nutcracker languished for decades with a reputation as one of Tchaikovsky's lesser works. Then, in the 1950s, the ballet’s status as a fixture of the holiday season began to grow as suddenly as Clara’s magic Christmas tree when renowned American choreographer George Balanchine staged it for the New York Ballet. Balanchine's elegant staging remains the most popular, alternating between breathtaking displays of balletic mastery by soloists and duos and large-scale set pieces that fill the stage with luminous costumes.

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Tuzer Ballet Company Presents "The Nutcracker"

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    Hill Performance Hall

    2351 Performance Dr.
    Richardson, Texas 75081
    (972) 744-4600
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  • Contact Hill Performance Hall at (972) 744-4600 for questions or hours.