Analysis Of The Nutcracker

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.

The classical version is set on a single level stage where the orchestra in not in view. The prima ballerina features the traditional tutu with the stiff material protruding from the waist. She is assisted with a male partner (pas de deux) as she eloquently floats on her toes (pointe) and easily raises her leg while twirling on the other (Pirouette). She is truly the star of the show as the other ballerinas in similar dress, support the story line from the background by performing low splits on the stage creating the sense of dawn into morning. As the ballet continues into twilight, the supporting ballerinas are then paired with male partners assisting them with their pointes and pirouette’s. The lighting of the stage does not seem to change much with a constant blue dimmed light in the background, particular members of the audience can be heard clapping while the majority of the audience does not.

Costumes during the period immediately preceding the Revolution, commonly known as the Baroque period, were extremely showy. Dances were typically cold and extremely stylized, they did not seek to connect with the audience but rather to astound them with extreme wealth. Watching a ballet from the time period would more likely leave the audience in awe at the scenery and intricacies rather than feeling raw emotion from a moving storyline. Ballet’s that were shown in the theaters leading up to the fall of the Bastille were always subject to scrutiny and censorship. Each ballet or play that was shown on stage had to be consistent with the political and social views of the monarchy.

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.

While observing this dance ballet, there were many things that caught my attention. First, the theater itself was extremely large, and the stage itself was big, and the dancers had plenty of room to move across the stage and perform their routines. There were many dancers, and they all played various roles that ranged from Clara, Fritz, Herr Drosselmeyer, the Rat King, the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and many more. All of the performers wore vivid costumes

By swaying in the delicate phrases and jerking with the harsh ones, the performers became the dancers in the ballet. They expressed different levels of emotion when required which reflected their playing.

Whether we look at a romantic ballet like La Sylphide or a classical ballet such as Sleeping Beauty, audiences are constantly mesmerized by the gracefulness and weightlessness of the ballet dancers. They seem to defy the laws of physics, which is greatly possible due to the use of the pointe shoe. However, many masterworks that were created in the Romantic era did not solely rely on the pointe shoe to help convey messages. Instead, the choreography, dancers, scenic elements, subject matter, and music all helped shaped masterworks such as La Sylphide, Napoli, and Giselle. Similarly, in the Classical era, these elements all played a role in shaping famous ballets like La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. But once we take a closer look at these ballets from the Classical era, we can see how much ballet evolved. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Romantic era was the stepping stone for this pure art form that we have been able to preserve for more than 160 years.

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

On the evening of Sunday, December 16, 2012, I had the pleasure of attending a concert I’d wanted to see for quite a while. I was delighted to attend Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, performed by the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the Richmond Ballet. The performance took place at Carpenter Theatre in Richmond Virginia. As I entered I felt a bit out of place. I’d never attended a performance quite like this one and I was a bit nervous. I took my seat to the left of the orchestra pit. I was thrilled to see how close I was. I had arranged for a seat near the orchestra so I could observe them as they played.

A Christmas Carol is one of the most iconic play as it displays an abundance of successful components. From acting, to stage directing, scenery, costumes, and lighting, the production portrays all those significant aspects. Throughout the process of the play, the plot and acting was incredibly engaging and dramatic. As for the stage directing, all props and cues are organized and well constructed. As for the costumes, scenery, and lighting, all elements was focused on the theme of the play; this created a remarkable environment for the audience to settle on.

Dance was not a new element in the theatre realm. It had been used for years as a way of interpretation of feelings of a character that the writer or director wanted the audience to feel visually. Through movement, expression of those feelings was portrayed and helped the audience to somewhat

French Ballet began in the 17th century. It was a flamboyant entertainment presented in front of the aristocracy and royalty in the courts. French Ballet was also performed when they were celebrating marriages and showing off the wealth and power of the ruler. Besides, Ballet was called “la belle danse”, and it means “the beautiful dance.” In order to help the audience to recognize the characters in the story, dancers usually wore extravagant costumes. Moreover, the idea of different ballet movements was based on the social dance of royal courts, like beautiful arm and upper body movements and floor patterns were included. Also, in the beginning, only men were allowed to dance ballet, and women played the first ballet with parts until 1681.

The performance begins in a small little German country side village. All of the characters dressed in vividly colored attire, frolic happily across the stage in trios. The bright colors of the background and the calm music paying from the orchestra aided in depicting fairy tale-like scene around the dancers in order to show it is a time of peace and joy. The main character Giselle, played by Svetlana Zakharova, and Albrecht, played by Roberto Bolle, meet and dance together, in traditional