The holidays are always a busy time of the year, which is why my family makes sure to
make the time to uphold our family traditions during the Christmas season. One of our annual Christmas
rituals is attending the National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker.
Although it is one of our newer traditions, perhaps
it will one day come close to matching the deeply rooted history that is behind this spectacular ballet
production.
The Nutcracker premiered at the
Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia almost 120 years ago in 1892. The production’s score was famously
composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Lev Ivanov.
Celia Franca, founder and artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada,
choreographed a full-length version of The Nutcracker
at Le Capitole de
Québec theatre, three years after the National
Ballet of Canada’s first performance of The
Nutcracker’s Act II in 1952 debuted at Toronto’s Eaton
Auditorium with choreography by Ivanov. In 1995, the National Ballet of Canada premiered a new production of
The
Nutcracker, choreographed by James Kudelka with sets and
costumes by Santo Loquasto, costing $2.7 million.
Over 800,000 people of all ages have attended Kudelka’s
The Nutcracker
since its premiere 16 years ago. The production,
which tells the story of brother and sister Misha and Marie’s magical dream they have the night before
Christmas, is sure to please. Everyone from toddlers who giggle at clumsy, tutu-wearing bears on skates, or
sit wide-eyed, gawking at the dainty Sugar Plum Fairy, to adults and grandparents who are reminded through
the show’s magic of what it’s like to be young at heart again, can enjoy seeing this famous Christmas ballet
come to life.
I look forward to ending the year with a trip to the ballet. This was our fourth
consecutive time seeing The
Nutcracker and it never fails to remain a delight each year.
What I love most — besides the stunning sets, ornate costumes, and music, of course — is that even though we
return every year and manage to snag the same seats every time (down to the exact same seat numbers!), I
always look at The Nutcracker
in a different light each year — and I don’t mean
stage lights. For me, it’s the perspective I gained from the year’s trials and triumphs that make watching
the production an entirely different experience for me each time. And I think that’s a tradition worth
preserving for years to come.
The Nutcracker runs from Dec. 10, 2011 to Jan. 3, 2012 at the
Four Seasons
Centre for the Performing Arts.
For more details and ticket information, visit national.ballet.ca
The Nutcracker by the
Numbers
Pairs of pointe shoes used by the ballerinas
for The Nutcracker
since 1995: 5,548
Loads of laundry for The Nutcracker
costumes since 1995:
3,871
Pounds of paper released in the snow scene since 1995:
3,415
Costumes in each performance of The
Nutcracker: 187
Layers of tulle in the Sugar Plum Fairy’s tutu: 10 to
15
Animals in The Nutcracker:
56 (1 rat, 1 horse, 2 bears, 6 baby mice, 18 cats
and dogs, 8 Cossack mice, 1 Tsar mouse, 1 ram, 1 rooster, 6 unicorns, 1 fox, 1 sheep, 9 lambs and 1
bee)
Performances cancelled due to snow: 0 •
Heather Ogden in
The
Nutcracker
Photo Courtesy: Bruce
Zinger
