the Nutcracker

This is our view as we wait for the fantastic opening of Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker on December 20, 2015.  We are seated in the Founder's Box seats, gifts from a friend who unexpectedly could not use the tickets.

photo from this year's Houston Ballet's  Playbill

 

We were thrilled to be there as my sons had promised to attend one of this year's Houston Ballet's Nutcracker performances but had not purchased tickets yet.  I had seen it years ago, but they have not.

photo from Ballet News, UK  

More important, this is the last year the Houston Ballet is using Ben Stevenson's choreography which they first performed December 4, 1987.

The original performance of the Nutcracker was in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1892 with an original score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  Below is a photo from 1900 production of the Nutcracker by the Imperial Ballet.  Click here for more information and photos of the history of the Nutcracker.

photo from Moscow Ballet

The first full-length performance of The Nutcracker in the USA was December 24, 1944 where it was danced by the San Francisco Ballet.  Click here for more information on the San Francisco 1944 performance.

photo from the Classical Girl

It did not take long for The Nutcracker to become an American holiday tradition.  For more information about the Ben Stevenson's choreography and Nutcracker history click here.

We didn't want the magic to end, so enjoyed a walk in the neighborhood after the performance before heading to the 59 Diner and then home.

I look forward to seeing the new version of The Nutcracker designed by the Houston Ballet's Artistic Director Stanton Welch next year and plan to enjoy it with my sons too.

One last addition -- click here to read an article from The Week about this ballet being the cheesiest ballet of all time!  It includes more history about the story and the ballet .... beginning with this:

In 1844, French writer Alexandre Dumas adapted an earlier, darker version of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman that had been intended strictly for adults, making it "happier and more appropriate for children.” The master of the Russian Imperial Ballet liked Dumas' new, lighter version of the story and decided to transform it into a ballet, commissioning Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky to compose the score, now some of the most recognizable pieces of music in the world.

I do love this ballet, cheesy or not - but then I like live performances of all kinds!