The holiday season offers friends and family the rare gift of time to enjoy traditions. As a parent I have noticed fast paced marketing defining the tastes and interests of my children. Redding City Ballet strives to promote the shared experience of an art form and memories that can last for years.
Redding City Ballet is in its twelve season presenting the “Nutcracker”, a word that has become synonymous with Christmas, along with decorating trees, carols and shopping. Dance Magazine has referred to the Sugar Plum Fairy as “ballet’s ambassador;” and indeed she is probably the first ballerina most children ever lay eyes on.
Every year I am asked what I will be changing in the story and why it is not considered “hallowed ground” as so many other classics tend to be. The loose structure of the ballet came about due to the illness of the original choreographer, Petipa who then had to turn the ballet over to his assistant. By the time the ballet made it to the Maryinski Theater in 1892, the pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier was all that remained more or less in tack and documented. The first company to take liberties with the ballet was the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo who arrived in the United States in the 40’s with an abbreviated version for its traveling company and then San Francisco Ballet presented it in 1944. Finally, Balanchine who had performed many of the roles himself as a young dancer set his full length version on New York City Ballet, the one most often performed today. And, although he reworked the choreography of the grand pas de deux there were some original steps that remained, including the off centered turns and the final pose. This year, after some research Redding City Ballet is please to announce that the grand pas performed by Amberly Bell and Daniel Arizmendi will be presented in its original version as choreographed by Maurice Petipa and first presented by the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, the company now known as the Kirov. Enjoy.
There is no experience like that of a live performance. For both the performer and the audience alike, there is an immediate emotional experience that cannot be recaptured. It comes and it’s gone. We hope to see you this year and hope you enjoy this story that has reflected the spirit of Christmas across the United States for well over fifty years.