Suwon SK Artrium

Ballet <The Nutcracker>

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Ballet with commentary
An iconic winter repertoire, a Christmas Fantasia
The Nutcracker
Which ballet should I choose? 3 different ballets <The Nutcracker>

「The Nutcracker」 is a ballet from act 2 of the impressionist writer E. T. A Hoffmann`s <The Nutcracker and the Mouse King>. It is the story of a girl named Clara, who received a nutcracker as a Christmas gift, going on an adventure in her dreams through the land of sweets with the nutcracker-turned-prince on Christmas eve.
The premier performance of <The Nutcracker> was choreographed by Marius Petipa and his assistant Lev Ivanov. Today, based on the original works of Petipa and Ivanov, there are over 12 revised renditions of <The Nutcracker> including versions by Grigorovich (Bolshoi Ballet), Vainonen (Kirov Ballet), Balanchine (New York City ballet), Nureyev (Paris Opera Ballet), Baryshnikov (Americal Ballet Theater), Write (Royal Ballet) etc.
Interestingly, George Balenchine`s rendition had success in Korea this year.
The biggest difference between Petipa-Ivanov`s rendition and Vainonen`s rendition is the presence of a fairy in Act 2.
That is, the presence of a fairy determines whether the story is fantasy (with the fairy), or real (without the fairy).

Things to keep an eye out while watching <The Nutcracker>
① Korean-style dance among different dances from around the world!
The Korean Ginger mother and Sangmojabi. A Korean-style Nutcracker.
Every year, well known ballet companies offer <The Nutcracker> on stage. On occasion, overseas ballet companies are invited to perform <The Nutcracker> in Korea. Also, <The Nutcracker> has been reproduced and performed as a musical over the years.
Among all iterations of <The Nutcracker>, Seoul Ballet Theater`s rendition is different from existing editions as it has Korean-style choreography and production. In particular, the wedding scene between Clara and the prince where folk dances from all over the world have performed, Seoul Ballet Theater incorporates a Korean-style dance. Also scene 2 has Mother Ginger appear in a fancy Korean dress traditionally worn by Queens rather than a normal large dress.
Also, the children that spring out of Mother Ginger`s skirt and start dancing joyfully are dressed in hanbok and sangmos. This is something the audience can see only at <The Nutcracker> performed by the Seoul Ballet Theater.
A stage full of beautiful dance and music telling the story of a girl`s dream on Christmas eve will leave unforgettable memories for all families this winter.

② Enjoy the performance by a seasoned veteran. Drosselmeyer played by James Jeon.
Still in love with the stage, James Jeon continues to perform in the ballet <the Nutcracker> as Drosselmeyer at the age of 55.
With his performance, James Jeon is expected to bring his experience and joy as a veteran among ballerinos. James Jeon is eager to participate as a choreographer as well as a ballerino.
Please look forward to James Jeon`s performance as Drosselmeyer.


Plot
Act 1 Scene 1. Christmas eve.
Guests of Mr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum, Clara`s parents, invited to their Christmas party enter Clara`s house along with their children.
During the party, Clara`s godfather Mr. Drosselmeyer appears suddenly and performs amazing magic tricks and a magnificent puppet show for the guests at the party.
Clara is given a nutcracker from Drosselmeyer as a gift. But she fights over the nutcracker with her older brother Fritz, who wants the new toy for himself, and ends up breaking it. To cheer her up, Drosselmeyer fixes the nutcracker just as new.
While the parents went into another room to have tea, Fritz and his mischievous friends start bullying Clara and her friends. The parents hear the racket and come out of their room to make them stop quarreling. Soon after, all guests cap off the night with a delightful dance. It is now late, and this year`s Christmas party is over. All the guests return home.

Act 1 Scene 2. The dark living room.
In the middle of the night, Clara comes downstairs to see the nutcracker being attacked by a band of mice. Clara is terrified but does her best to protect her nutcracker. This is when Drosselmeyer appears and saves Clara. Using magic, Drosselmeyer enlarges the Christmas tree and goes into battle against the mice army with the nutcracker and other toy soldiers. When the nutcracker faces danger in a duel against the mouse king, Clara takes off her shoe and hits the mouse king. Using this as a distraction, the nutcracker stabs and defeats the mouse king. Thanks to the help from Clara, the toy soldiers win and the nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince. Drosselmeyer invites the prince and Clara to the land of sweets. On their way to the land of sweets, they meet the snow queen and begin their beautiful journey dancing with snow flakes.

Act 2 Scene 1. Land of Sweets.
Drosselmeyer introduces Clara to the sugar plum fairy who prepares a magnificent welcoming party for Clara.
The Spanish dance by chocolates, waltz by roses and much more are performed at the party. In particular, the `sweets dance` by children sprouting out of the Ginger Mother`s skirt wearing hanbok is a wonderful Korean-style dance performed to the sound of the janggu and the sogo. Soon after, folk dances from many different countries including the French dance by reeds, the Arabian dance by coffees, and the Chinese dance by teas ensues.
Finally, the finale is a dance between the sugar plum fairy and the prince.