The ballet has become an iconic production and it is still performed today. The nutcracker is often performed during the christmas season due to its content, and many families make it an annual tradition to attend a performance. The nutcracker tells a story about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on christmas eve and wages a battle against the evil mouse king. Having retired cofounder robert joffreys production of the nutcracker after nearly 30 years, the joffrey ballet debuted a brandnew version in 2016, set in chicago against the backdrop of the. The nutcracker is a ballet which was produced by marius petipa. Click the image below to view the nutcracker digital program book. The origin of the nutcracker, a classic christmas story, is a fairy tale ballet in two. Indiana ballet theatre takes nutcracker to crown point. The nutcracker performing arts sidebar chicago reader. When marius petipa had the idea to choreograph the story into a ballet, it was actually based on a revision by alexander dumas, a well known french author. The world of this nutcracker was created by the designer mihail chemiakin. Yet wheeldons ballet does radically redefine what an american nutcracker can be, in a version quite unlike robert joffreys exemplar of middleclass opulence, set in 19thcentury new york. The origin of the nutcracker, a classic christmas story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a familys christmas eve celebration.
Dance of the sugar plum fairy from the nutcracker the. Chicago is a tough place to sell any nutcracker other than the joffrey ballets incredible version, revised just last year, a staple of the holiday season for over 40 years, and one accompanied in recent years by the chicago philharmonic, itself a fine orchestra who areincidentallypast masters at tchaikovsky. Tchaikovskys nutcracker, the story of a young girls journey to a magical land on christmas eve, is perhaps not only the composers most famous work but also one of the most famous ballets of all time. It tells the story of a little girl who goes to the land of sweets on christmas eve. Inside the brave new world of the joffreys nutcracker. I want email news and updates for events in my area.
Today is the 100 th anniversary of the passing of marius petipa, known as the father of russian ballet. Vsevolozhsky and the ballet master marius petipa, who had choreographed the sleeping beauty, wrote the libretto for the nutcracker and. The chicagobased joffrey ballet and new yorkbased american ballet theatre will present what are known in the field as mixedrepertory programs combinations of shorter works with a variety of. It has become one of tchaikovskys most famous compositions. The nutcracker at the arie crown theatre december 79, 1216, 1823, 2630 in times as uncertain and threatening as ours, we must be doubly grateful. The moscow ballets north american tour includes dancers from some of the most storied and prestigious opera and. Alberta ballet the nutcracker tickets alberta ballet. Joffreys nutcracker opens at kennedy center playbill. The schools founder director was the french ballet master and. Wheeldons nutcracker for the joffrey ballet is set at chicagos 1893. Be sure to check out the nutcracker site before you decide where you will see a holiday performance of the nutcracker. The nutcracker milwaukee tickets the nutcracker milwaukee tickets pyotr tchaikovskys famous 1892 ballet, the nutcracker, has been an annual christmas tradition in the milwaukee area since 1977. He was the principal creator of the modern classical ballet.
Moscow ballets great russian nutcracker denver tickets. Balletfeerie in two acts and three scenes music by peter ilyich tchaikovsky libretto by ivan vsevolozhsky and marius petipa decors by konstantin ivanov and. The notes were incomplete and difficult to read, yet sergeyev persisted, and the nutcracker made it. Fraught with cultural tropes and appropriation, like many classical ballets, the nutcracker begged to be reimagined to suit a broader audience with more contemporary values. A hoffmann, the ballet chronicles the whimsical adventures of a nutcracker prince and a young.
Nutcracker performance listings are provided by state and city and by the company performing the. The moscow ballets great russian nutcracker has been thrilling international audiences of all ages and backgrounds for generations. Wheeldons acclaimed turnofthecentury tale opens on christmas eve, 1892, mere months before the grand opening of the 1893 worlds fair, as young marie and her mother prepare for a christmas eve potluck celebration. Moscow ballets great russian nutcracker rosemont theater. Joffreys nutcracker premiered in 1987, and is the first version of the. The nutcracker at the joffrey ballet university of chicago. The second act of the nutcracker, originally conceived for marius petipas 1892 premiere in st. The magic of the season takes hold when a visit from the. The petipa society has a wonderful website full of information about the original nutcracker, including incredible photos. During the latter half of the 19th century petipa elevated russian ballet to international acclaim and recognition. How the nutcracker became a holiday tradition wttw chicago. Petipa, the ballet master, fell ill and left the task of choreographing the nutcracker to his assistant, lev ivanov.
Hoffmann was set to music by tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by marius petipa. Patrice bart and the dancers of the deutsche staatsoper berlin revisit tchaikovsky and marius petipas masterwork the nutcracker. The nutcracker is an 1892 twoact ballet, originally choreographed by marius petipa and lev ivan with a score by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky. The joffrey ballet will launch its 20112012 season with yuri possokhovs storyballet don quixote. In 1891, the legendary choreographer marius petipa commissioned tchaikovsky to write the music for the nutcracker ballet. On november 30, 2019, chicagos joffrey ballet opened its annual nutcracker season with a matinee performance at the auditorium theatre, 60 e. Ivanov was reportedly disorganized and unprepared in many rehearsals, and his choreography may have left something to be desired. We proudly offer classical ballet training and performance opportunities for dancers of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Zusi attended summer programs at the school of american ballet in 2018 and boston ballet school in 2019. Petipa rose to prominence at the imperial theatre in st. Chemiakin not only produced the sketches for the costumes and sets, he also conceived the images of the characters, dictating to the choreographer the nature of the movements, and all of the miraculous transformations in this theatrical tale are the fruits of his imagination.
Yet the ballet soon encountered another difficulty. Gehr has attended summer programs at ballet west, school of american ballet, pittsburgh ballet theatre, ballet chicago, and pacific northwest ballet. Based on the nutcracker and the mouse king by the german author e. Marius petipa was still a leading dancer with the st. The nutcracker was originally commissioned by the russian imperial ballet, choreographed by marius petipa, and premiered in december of. In 1892, the chief ballet masters and choreographers of the russian imperial ballet in saint petersburg, marius petipa and lev ivanov, and composer pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky, turned the story into the now wellknown ballet. Pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky marius petipa lev ivanov vasili vainonen, the nutcracker. The last of his three ballets, it was first performed in december 1892. The nutcracker site provides a central location for nutcracker ballet information. The nutcracker ballet listing nutcracker performances. Marius petipa russiapedia opera and ballet prominent. Marius petipa born victor marius alphonse petipa was the inventor of modern classical ballet. The nutcracker ballet provides the history of the nutcracker ballet, nutcracker music, nutcrakcer links, nutcracker movies and information on nutcracker ballet performances in your area. The nutcracker is an 1892 twoact ballet originally choreographed by marius petipa and lev.
In 1892, the first showing of the nutcracker took place at the mariinsky theatre of russia, home of the kirov. Illinois nutcracker ballet performance directory the nutcracker ballet nutcracker performance listings are provided by state and city and by the company performing the nutcracker ballet. They stayed true to tchaikovskys brilliant score and marius petipas choreography which was a key to its success. University ballet of chicago is a studentrun ballet company affiliated with the university of chicago in hyde park. It would become the predecessor of todays vaganova ballet academy. But petipa fell ill while choreographing the nutcracker and handed his. Ballet the nutcracker by vainonen after petipa and ivanov, music by. The nutcracker ballet is based on the book called the nutcracker and the mouse king written by e. It premiered more than a century ago in 1892 at the mariinsky theatre. Hoffmann, the ballet opens with the lively christmas party that is hosted by the stahlbaum family, its victorian setting captured in opulent detail by julia. Browse our huge selection of tickets for every the nutcracker show.
Ivan vsevolozhsky and marius petipa adapted hoffmanns story for the ballet. Hoffman and alexandre dumas, its a holiday masterpiece set in chicagos 1893 worlds fair. The ballet runs through november 28, and then tours to detroit and iowa city before returning to chicago in middecember. The mariinsky ballet was founded in the 1740s, following the formation of the first russian dance school in 1738 the imperial theatre school as it was originally known, was established on 4 may 1738, at the winter palace in saint petersburg.
The legend of the nutcracker is arguably the most famous of tchaikovsky and petipas ballet collaborations, a sweet coming of age story for a young girl who. Petersburg ballet in 1862 when he created his first multiact ballet for the tsars imperial theatre, the pharohs daughter, an incredible fantasy that included such egyptian happenings as mummies awakening and poisonous snakes, much like an indiana jones movie. Hoffmanns 1816 fairy tale the nutcracker and the mouse king. Shchelkunchik listen help info is an 1892 twoact ballet fairy ballet. Ballet nutcracker by patrice bart after marius petipa, music by. Indiana ballet theatre presents the nutcracker at crown point high school from nov. Marius petipa staged don quixote in 1869 for the bolshoi ballet of.