Research Paper On The Nutcracker

Music. Entrancing both by its various individual styles and the unavoidable combination of diverse kinds which thusly have made other totally new and novel styles of music. Traditional music is a flawless sample. The soonest types of traditional music were made in the eighteenth and mid nineteenth hundreds of years and showed an exceptionally confused and modern type of composing joining an extensive variety of instruments and utilized the guideline of multi instrumentation which accomplished a full symphonic sound which thusly prompted the making of uniquely planned lobbies to encourage the sound. The sources of the music were additionally differing, numerous organizations having been composed for the stage, writers.

A. In Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Tchaikovsky’s main music characteristic is Russian folk music. He does like to use some elements from French, Italian, and German music.

In modern times, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker, is a Christmas classic. With memorable songs and beautiful instrumentation, many cannot imagine Christmas without it. Dance companies perform the ballet year after year with spectators coming to watch annually. There have even been LGBT, hip hop, and Jewish adaptations to the popular ballet (Begley). Thousands of musicians and dancers all over the world perform it to add to the excitement and cheer of the holidays.

On November 25, 2017 I attended The Nutcracker ballet performance at the Eisemann Center. The dance was adapted from a story by E.T.A Hoffman with the music by Tchaikovsky. The show was a faithful adaptation of The Nutcracker with the dancers, costumes, sets, and Tchaikovsky’s music all playing an integral part in depicting the story in an entertaining way. Overall, the presentation was successful in portraying the holiday classic that is The Nutcracker, and the majestic sets and costumes along with the music allowed for sustained attention and spectacle that was still true to the narrative of The Nutcracker. The production did this by having grand, bright costumes and sets that resembled the time period of The Nutcracker and depicted the setting of the dances, the original music by Tchaikovsky which was able to produce the emotions that come with the story, and lighting techniques that showed the weather and time of day which helped show what scenes were being told throughout the performance.

Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” and Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring “ are two of the most influential ballets to ever be recorded. Their ballets have been played and duplicated for many years. I will start this paper with a summary of each composer which will include where they are from culturally, geographically and musically. Then I talk about each ballet. Where it was written, the story behind each piece, and its reception now and its reception at the time it was published. I will also include the popularity of each ballet in other forms such as Disney. Finally, I will provide a detailed concert report of each ballet.

Listening to Music class has taught me a new way to listen and enjoy music. I have learned how to differentiate the melodies, rhythms, and instruments in a song. It has also introduced me to different genres in the music world, aside from what is usually played on the radio. I can now attend any concert, listen to any genre, or watch any ballet and easily recognize the many specific aspects the music being played has. Ballets are very interesting to me. The audience is able to enjoy the music being played as it is telling a story, and being acted out through the performer’s body language. In the two ballets, The Rite of Spring and The Nutcracker, a great story is told in both referencing the many great dynamics music has. These two specific ballets are written by different composers, and each one of them have certain conditions they were written under. As well as different receptions, popularity, and development. The Rite of Spring and The Nutcracker’s differences has made some sort of an impact in the performing world back then as well as now.

The ballet had many features that express the story The Nutcracker. One feature the ballet had to express the story was pantomime. Pantomime is when the dancers use body language to tell a story. Another feature the ballet had to express the story was the music. The music changed every time something joyful, suspicious, or wonder filled happened. The final feature is the costumes. The costumes help express the story by all the details. The details on the costumes come and a wide variety. Some features include squints, colors, buttons, and much more. In the book The Nutcracker, The story is expressed by dialogue and pictures, but in the ballet the story is expressed by music, costumes, and Pantomime. In the book you had to use your imagination

Friday December 1, 2017, I went to The Center for the Arts to watch “The Nutcracker” presented by The Dance Foundation. The presentation was directed by Ashley Miller Davis, Choreographed by DeAnn Petruschke and Ashley Miller Davis, and Costumes by Lisa Ivy and Brenda Linton. I believe the stand out actors in this presentation of “The Nutcracker” was not the main characters but The Sugar Plum Fairy which was played by Adriana Pierce and her Cavalier played by Neil Marshall. I plan to tell the entire story that was presented but my main focus will be on these two.

This semester in dance class I have had a wonderful time and learned a lot of things. We’ve had some great times in dance this semester, like when we were doing our show, “How the Grinch Stole the Nutcracker”, I had a lot of fun. I did many things well but, there was a lot I could work on,too. I remember that in our ‘Ice Skaters’ dance, we would do a Jazz split and I was really good at that! Also,we would do a “tabletop stand-up” thing and I was also really good at that, that part was really fun. In our “Samba” dance we had to make up some poses to do at the beginning, and make sure we remembered to use levels, I was pretty good at doing that! Even though there were many good things I did, there were also many things I wish to work on. I really

On February 2, 2017, I was given the opportunity to view Innovative Works, performed by Charlotte Ballet, and created by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, in the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance. Charlotte Ballet has been around Charlotte, North Carolina for twenty-five years as a professional company. Bonnefoux created the performance to announce the passion and intensity of each movement the dancer’s performed along with assistance from Mark Diamond, Sasha Janes, Sarah Harkins, and David Ingram. Before viewing the performance, the Dance Department of Coker College was given a tour around the building. During the tour, information was provided about how long the company has existed, we were able to visit the costume design

Jerome Robbins’s incredible dance history and background is what has left him ranked so highly in the musical theater industry today. From working to dazzle his audiences, Robbins can be held responsible for the industry’s serge in popularity over a short amount of time. It can be said by many that Robbins took a fresh approach to choreography to introduce to the world with a more energetic and dynamic performance to display. Robbins creative work elevated the role of dance in musical theatre, which was claimed to be the industry’s ‘Golden Era’.

Her teacher saw Copeland’s ability and encouraged her to take ballet classes. She took classes at a local dance club Copeland and was shortly moved to pointe. Copeland was thriving at dance, but her family life was difficult. She moved in with her dance teacher where she was able to train and perform. Copeland was offered many opportunities to perform in “The Chocolate Nutcracker,” and charity events.

George Balanchine himself said, “The choreographer and the dancer must remember that they reach the audience through the eye. It’s the illusion created which convinces the audience, much as it is with the work of a magician.” ³ Balanchine could be considered just that of a magician in the way that he brought his ballets to life. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, could truly be described as an illustration of Christmas magic. The Nutcracker would be of his most famous works, expanding worldwide and withstanding the true test of time. Recognized as a 20th century master², Balanchine made history as the incredible choreographer of many works including that of a Christmas tradition.

The Nutcracker Ballet is based on the story of the original story which was written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816. Although Hoffman’s story was a fairy tale, it was not meant for children.

Peter Tchaikovsky was a famous Composer from the 19th Century. He is known as the most famous Russian composer in history (“Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Biography”). Some historians think that he was Russia’s first truly professional composer ("Tchaikovsky Music's – Famous”). His music was performed during the late 1800s. He created many musical works throughout this time as a composer and many of these works are still listened to today.