"The Nutcracker" Presented by Concert Ballet of Virginia on December 16 or 17
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Tchaikovsky’s classic score twirls to life in a holiday classic which sees young Clara venture into a dreamland of snow and ice
The Deal
- $15 for one general-admission ticket (up to $24 value)
- When: Saturday, December 16, at 2:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. / Sunday, December 17, at 2:30 p.m.
The Nutcracker
Based on a novel by 19th-century romantic fabulist E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker weaves a magical tale of holiday adventure around one of the most recognizable scores in the ballet repertoire. It begins when young Clara receives a nutcracker from her godfather, a wizardly toymaker named Drosselmeyer. Sneaking downstairs to see the toy after everyone else has gone to bed, she 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.
Throughout their adventures, Tchaikovsky’s dazzling inventiveness propels the dances of nimble flowers and regal fairy queens. The “Waltz of the Snowflakes” floats weightlessly above the angelic voices of a youth choir, whereas the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” tiptoes to the haunting, music-box chimes of a celesta. A medley of exotic national dances—including a Spanish bolero and Russian Trepak—add to the phantasmagoric celebration before the whole dream ends, as all dreams must.
Need To Know Info
About The Nutcracker
In 1976, months of planning and secret meetings came to fruition. After plenty of soul-searching, a group of 30 dancers split from the Richmond Ballet and enlisted the guidance of artistic director Robert Watkins, who had recently resigned from the Richmond Ballet as well. Together they formed a new troupe with one goal: fostering appreciation of ballet by making it more accessible. To that end, they staged affordable, full-scale productions at convenient venues across the state. The Concert Ballet of Virginia has more than lived up to that lofty goal in the years since. Everything about the company emphasizes accessible quality, from their full-length productions of Swan Lake and Giselle to their open casting calls and their eradication of the all-tutu dress code usually demanded of ballet audiences.