Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a romantic and a Russian. Add Christmas to the equation and you have the well-loved “Nutcracker” ballet. Friday night Puebloans were treated to a performance of this holiday favorite by the Moscow Ballet at Memorial Hall.
Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker follows Tchaikovsky’s complete Nutcracker Suite score. The first act maintains the classic tradition and storyline. In the second act, however, Masha, aka Clara, and her Prince travel to the Land of Peace and Harmony instead of visiting the Sugar Plum Fairy. This is part of the company’s long-standing theme of international and cultural unity. Tchaikovsky probably wouldn’t have approved of the change. For the audience last night, it didn’t change the overall experience.
The “Nutcracker” premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. The ballet was first performed outside Russia in England in 1934. Its first United States performance was in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet. It took another 10 years for it to become popular in America. This was the Cold War era and the Russian child Masha became the German child Clara. Last night, Masha danced for Pueblo.
All of the dancers were talented. When it was announced that local children would be part of the cast, I worried that they would truly be a part of the performance and not an unprofessional way of selling more tickets. It was a real tribute to every Pueblo child that they flowed seamlessly into the performance. Their teachers are to be commended.
The set, which consisted of a series of beautiful screens, was designed by Valentin Fedorov, who studied at the Moscow Artistic Academic Theatre under the legendary Valery Levental of the Bolshoi Ballet. By using lights and rippling the screens, the background was intriguing without intruding on the stage area for the dancers.
This was as it should be. Ballet is a demanding dance form that the Russians deservedly hold the title of being the best in the world. The Moscow Ballet members represented their country and art form very well. However, the performance lacked the precision that Russian ballet is known for. It was especially nice to see males demonstrate leaps, lifts and spins that enhanced the ballerinas’ movements.
Lastly, what would a ballet company be without the beautiful costumes? The snow scenes in the opening of Act II were lovely. The couples’ “love duet” was equally moving. And, isn’t that what theater is suppose to do, take us out of the world we know and into another? Last night the trip was a gift to the soul.
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