Review: The Imperial Russian Ballet Company Presents The Nutcracker

Last week Wellington welcomed the Imperial Russian Ballet Company for the performance of The Nutcracker. As part of Emma’s birthday celebration we booked the tickets a few months in advance in anticipation of our first live ballet performance. I am glad to say we were not disappointed. It was a night of magic as the fairy tale unfolded, leaving us wanting more.

Clara and her Nutcracker Prince perfectly poised. Image source.

Originally a story written by E.T.A. Hoffman named The Nutcracker and the Mouse King it was adapted into a two-act ballet by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, legendary choreographers in the ballet world from the 19th century. To accompany the choreography was the score of classical composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. I went into the ballet with a hazy memory of the story I read as a child and not quite sure what to expect from the ballet. However, being once a student of music myself, I distinctively remember playing Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on the piano and loving it. Knowing I had Tchaikovsky’s score at the very least was comforting.

As soon as the curtains lifted I knew everything was going to be alright and the show would be a night to remember. The stage was transformed into a white Christmas wonderland, a scene most missed living in the southern hemisphere. The company had picked the perfect piece to perform as we entered the festive season. Right from the get-go there were humour and theatrics to help tell the story and to engage the audience. Every detail was captivating. What I found amazing was the production’s use of the depth of the stage to unveil each scene with their beautifully designed setting.

A bit of comedy to liven the mood as the family of six trudges through the snow to the festivity that awaits. Image source.

The story began with a Christmas party held at a fancy household with toy maker Drosselmayer entertaining children and adults alike with his magic tricks, games and toys. When he presented his new creation, a nutcracker doll, our heroine Clara took an instant liking to it. However, in the ensuing fight with her brother Fritz the toy is broken. Drosselmayer fixed the toy which cheered Clara up. At night as the clock striked midnight and Clara asleep under the Christmas tree with the nutcracker in her arms, the house comes alive and is overrun by “mice”. A battle between the Nutcracker’s troops and the mice led by their king followed. After the mice were defeated the Nutcracker is revealed to have transformed fully into a prince and took Clara to his kingdom The Land of Sweets in celebration.

Drosselmayer entertaining the guests, both children and adult alike. Image source.

Clara and her nutcracker toy. Image source.

One of the aspects I found impressive with the dancers was their acting skills. As this was a ballet performance they could not speak so the story had to be told with their movement and facial expressions. The whole performance was like watching a silent film. The dancers who were acting as toys during the first act were very convincing. Their frozen expressions and their mechanical movement matched that of wind-up toys. The toys also provided a wonderful opportunity to garner laughter from the audience as they were carried off the stage in hilarious manners after their clockwork came to a stop. Perhaps the most comical was during the Grandfather Waltz which surprisingly did not end in an emergency trip to the hospital for the “oldies”.

The Jester toy performed a series of impressive jumps and splits. Image source.

The ballerina toy with her eeriely emotionless face and stiff jerky movements. Image source.

Worthy of mention were the children that performed along side the Russian ballet stars. A quick research after the show revealed the company invites children from local ballet schools to join their shows during tours. It made sense as travelling year long with a whole lot of kids in tow is a disaster in the making. It could also be a great way to get the local community involved and to spread awareness of the local ballet schools available. For the Wellington production, students from the Tarrant Dance Studios were asked to join the show. The children were a delight to watch on stage. There was a sense of discipline balanced with youthful playfullness and chaos that brought the colourful story to life. After all it is a children’s tale so a child’s touch is necessary.

The faux mice king being adorably charming. Image source.

The little gallant toy soldiers led by the Nutcracker. Image source.

The real stars of the show were our heroes Clara and her Nutcracker Prince performed by Lina Seveliova and Nariman Bekzhanov. Bekzhanov was elegant yet powerful in his performance. His counterpart, Seveliova, was delicate, precious and precise, reminding me of a porcelain ballerina in a music box. She was exactly how I imagined a classic ballerina should be. When she danced her solo to Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy I was so excited I did a fist pump. From their performances together you could tell the amount of practice they had put in and the trust built between the two. The moment Bekzhanov raised Seveliova above him and then dropped her suddenly into their poster pose elicited a gasp from the audience. Only chemistry, practice and trust could achieve such precise and daring execution. My favourite performance of the night was their dance amidst the snow flake dancers or what I call the Snow Fairies.

Seveliova during her Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy solo. Image source.

Nariman Bekzhanov helping Lina Seveliova in her pirouette. Image source.

Seveliova and Bekzhanov striking a pose during the snow flake scene. Image source.

The graceful snow flakes aka snow fairies. Image source.

Bekzhanov and Seveliova in their poster pose. Image source.

The rest of the cast were energetic and just as graceful and powerful in their performance. The speed at which they changed into and out of their numerous costumes was astounding. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of dances they provided for the night. Without them the story would not have been as multilayered as it was that night. I loved the opportunity they provided to spot all the different interactions going on behind the main storyline.

The dance of the flowers or as I would like to call them woodland fairies. Image source.

A tea party of sweets from around the world. The Spanish dancers representing chocolate, Arabian dancers representing coffee, Chinese dancers representing tea, the Russian dancer representing candy cane and the Danish shepherdesses representing marzipan. Image source.

I was rather reluctant to see the night come to a close. In my opinion the ballet was too short with each act being only fifty minutes each. But this was only me wanting the magical night to last a bit longer. The length of the show meant it was perfect for a family night out with the young ones. The show had such colourful elements that I could see why the Nutcracker ballet continues to draw so many audiences from around the world with each different interpretation and versions. This was certainly a performance not to be missed and I look forward to more performances by the Imperial Russian Ballet Company in the future.

The perfect end to an enchanting night. Image source.

Live. Love. Laugh. Liberate.

– Avis Knows