
Since 1892 audiences over the world have enjoyed the famous Russian Ballet of “The Nutcracker”…There is nothing that says Christmas more than this popular production. On Saturday, December 20th, I attended the matinee of Ballet Austin’s 46th Annual Production of the famous “Nutcracker Suite”. I chose to go in the afternoon as I knew there would be tons of kids attending and I love being around little children (I have 4 kids that are grown and gone…). There is nothing as delightful to see the excitement of little children attending a Theater Production that is geared for them. Seeing the little girls in their Holiday dresses of red, with big bows in their hair was a sentimental journey…one little girl even had on her “Ballerina” dress and that was worth a big smile! The little girl that sat next to me knew this Ballet so well she hummed along, and I almost joined in myself, ha!!
I had a wonderful seat, Orchestra section, 4th Row, I was so close I could see the eyebrows of the Dancers! I was very impressed with the Costumes, they were classic jewel-toned Victorian-styled with a 40’s twist…the corps had brilliant true Red gowns instead of the often White traditional you generally see and that really stood out! When I was much younger, I took Ballet, and the teacher was of the Russian school where each and every step is so precise and the choreography of Ballet Austin was superb, and reminded me of my old Teacher, Ms. Machelik. This choreographer made good use of the young children, you could see the delight of the kids being on-stage!
The Orchestra was definetly on it’s mark and did not miss a single note…the score by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky who was the first major Composer to make use of the “Celesta” (invented in 1886) in a work for a full symphony orchestra, is complex and beautiful, one of my favorites beside Swan Lake. However, the Nutcracker did not become widely popular in America until the late 1960’s, and it really took off in the 1970’s thanks to Mikhail Baryshinikov, an incredibly talented & muscular Russian dancer who took liberty with the classical Ballet relative to the story, but still leads the pack with the best selling DVD of the Nutcracker to this day.
I would also like to mention that the Long Center for the Performing Arts is a wonderful venue, quite new, not even a year old yet. http://www.thelongcenter.org/ It has no bad seats, it is laid out perfectly…with 2,400 seating, it’s not too big, and not to small…it’s just right and it even has side “boxes” on three levels which is very cool! The acoustics were absolutely perfect! And parking is easy, $7 for Garage parking, and $17 for Valet. I did the Garage parking as I enjoy the stroll to the venue, as the excitement electrifies the air, I love the thrill of it all!
Check out the upcoming schedule for Ballet Austin and their Youth Programs…It’s an incredible learning ground for our young. It’s a true Multi-media experience encompassing all genre’s of Art…Music, Dance, Fashion & Style, Electronics & Lighting, Set Building & Design, and Theater production….it’s Creative Expression at it’s finest! http://www.balletaustin.org/
As for me, I still have visions of Sugar Plums dancing in my head! Merry Christmas, y’all!
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