In the spirit of Christmas tradition we (the kids & I) attended the Pennsylvania Ballet's performance of George Balanchine's Nutcracker at the NAC yesterday. In the spirit of Christmas tradition 2012 I will be attending the ballet ALONE. Both of my adorable children just couldn't sit still. Forget ants in their pants... they must have had beetles in there. Perhaps it is because I am pregnant and EVERYTHING is less tolerable. Pregnancy, especially at 29-30 weeks, puts a damper on even the most exciting of things.
Sam was jittery even before it started. "I've never seen a Nutcracker show before. I am so excited so that's why I can't sit still". Of course 10 minutes into the show that excitement waned and he was asking about the intermission. And at 15 minutes. And 25. Juliet was equally bouncy and I found that surprising. Last year she sat through the entire performance and barely moved. I guess I was expecting the same this year.
The constant questions are normal. Excessive, but normal. "Do all those kids have moms & dads?" ... "Is that real snow? Is it sparkles?" ... "Will the rats come off the stage?" In between questioning when the "break" was... there was a question for everything.
The ballet itself was AMAZING. I loved it. The Pennsylvania Ballet's art director, set & costume designers were fabulous. The sets & props & costumes were gorgeous and all meshed together effortlessly. The colors were perfect. The Nutckacker himself & the rats were fantastic. Mother Ginger... amazing. And to top it all off a large number of children were cast in the show. It was one of the greatest interpretations of the ballet I've seen. Way more kid friendly then last year's Russian rendition. I've gathered some photos from online as I couldn't take any myself, to show off some of the talent. Most of these photos are credited to Alexander Iziliaev and I found them on the ballet's website.
One thing I love about the Nutcracker is that every ballet company presents it differently. They all have their own artistic take on the Christmas classic. Like I said... last year there was a Russian twist to the entire show, while this year was way more candyland. I can't wait to see it again next year... kids or no kids.
Sam was jittery even before it started. "I've never seen a Nutcracker show before. I am so excited so that's why I can't sit still". Of course 10 minutes into the show that excitement waned and he was asking about the intermission. And at 15 minutes. And 25. Juliet was equally bouncy and I found that surprising. Last year she sat through the entire performance and barely moved. I guess I was expecting the same this year.
The constant questions are normal. Excessive, but normal. "Do all those kids have moms & dads?" ... "Is that real snow? Is it sparkles?" ... "Will the rats come off the stage?" In between questioning when the "break" was... there was a question for everything.
The ballet itself was AMAZING. I loved it. The Pennsylvania Ballet's art director, set & costume designers were fabulous. The sets & props & costumes were gorgeous and all meshed together effortlessly. The colors were perfect. The Nutckacker himself & the rats were fantastic. Mother Ginger... amazing. And to top it all off a large number of children were cast in the show. It was one of the greatest interpretations of the ballet I've seen. Way more kid friendly then last year's Russian rendition. I've gathered some photos from online as I couldn't take any myself, to show off some of the talent. Most of these photos are credited to Alexander Iziliaev and I found them on the ballet's website.
One thing I love about the Nutcracker is that every ballet company presents it differently. They all have their own artistic take on the Christmas classic. Like I said... last year there was a Russian twist to the entire show, while this year was way more candyland. I can't wait to see it again next year... kids or no kids.
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