Christmassy Things: The Nutcracker

This is a ballet. And it is a traditional Christmassy one to watch in Europe and N America (and I am sure elsewhere as well!) Most ballets have fairly simplistic stories, and this one involves Christmas Eve celebrations, and various gifts and things coming magically to life that night (as witnessed by a little girl). Its origins are French and Russian. The story is adapted from a tale by Alexandre Dumas. The music to go with it was written by Tchaikovsky. The full ballet was first performed in St Petersburg in the 1890s, but apparently only really became popular in the West during the 1960s. 

A nutcracker is an implement used to crack nuts (funnily enough!) and the one in this story was carved to look like a person. Nutcrackers used to be especially associated with Christmas because, in Europe in the 1800s, nuts were traditionally a special/exotic thing to eat for the season.

Two of the well-known scenes in The Nutcracker are The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and The Nutcracker Tea - and you might recognise the music. Several pieces of music became famous from this ballet!

I have seen two performances of The Nutcracker, a traditional one in Singapore, and a more contemporary version in London. The latter was choreographed by Matthew Bourne (who is also famous for introducing an all-male Swan Lake!) 

In the UK, ballet has generally been seen as an upper class or 'high-brow' thing to watch live. Inaccessible to most people with normal incomes, and possibly quite dull for those who don't want to watch it for tradition or 'class value'. For some decades various authorities have been trying to change this perception and I think that there are many performances today which are both affordable, and with variations on the traditional style. Personally I am normally not crazy about ballet as a performance (and have watched it because I got free tickets through work!) But in addition to the famous music, The Nutcracker can have some great, colourful sets and scenes. And there is something very festive and atmospheric about the occasion itself - getting dressed up to visit the theatre, and doing something special for the Christmas season :) 

Here is The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, in traditional style with the Mariinsky Ballet, and also Matthew Bourne's version of The Nutcracker Tea. (You can also watch the entire Nutcracker ballet on YouTube if you search for it!)