“The Nutcracker” is a ballet that has been around since 1892, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is about a girl named Clara who gets a nutcracker for Christmas from her godfather, a toymaker. It turns out that the nutcracker is a prince, and he takes Clara on adventures in his home, Toyland. But, they must stand up against the Rat King. Complete with beautiful costumes and dance numbers, this ballet is a masterpiece.

The rendition of the ballet I saw was at the Fox Theatre, performed as part of the World Ballet Series by 50 professional dancers from all over the world. I must give props to the costume designer; when we are seeing Earth and not Toyland, the costumes are true to the time period.

From the very beginning, this performance was chock-full of classic musical favorites that you are sure to have heard before during the holidays. One thing that was very interesting about this performance was that the Rat King had three heads.

There were some numbers that very much stood out to me. One of these was the Dance of the Snowflakes. About 16 dancers were dressed in silver and blue sparkling costumes, gliding across the stage, mimicking the movements of a blizzard of snowflakes. Another was the Dancers of the World. Dancers from all around the world perform for Clara and the Nutcracker, displaying various dance styles from their home countries.

This was a lavish production full of beauty and graceful dancing. From beginning to end, I was on the edge of my seat saying, “What’s next?” I would recommend this ballet to anyone looking for some beautiful and refined entertainment.

PHOTO: Worldballetseries.com