The Nutcracker - Alberta Ballet Offers A Holiday Classic

Alberta Ballet Artists Hayna Gutierrez and Garrett Groat Photography by Yin Yi

The foyer was as full as I have ever seen it at The Queen Elizabeth Theatre, in itself a fantastic sight, the audience a wonderful colourful array of princesses and ballerinas. An electric buzz filled the air, the kind of buzz that theatre and Christmas should be filled with. The wonder and anticipation that something is about to happen, something spectacular and awe-inspiring.

The conductor strikes up the orchestra from the VSO for a brief warm up, the audience is electrified, rapturous applause followed the brief interlude. The orchestra take what will be the first of three highly deserved bows. They provide a flawless musical backdrop to this production whilst finding time for one or two moments of comic relief. The scenery and backdrops were elegant, stylistic and grand.

The curtain rises, the audience filled with anticipation, the story unfolds. From the first few scenes where the Nutcracker is introduced, featuring our local amazing young dancers that make up the corps de ballet - they really shine and sparkle through out, through the twists and turns that follow, this show is amazing. From this show it is easy to see why so many of the audience are aspiring to follow in the footsteps of these amazing dancers, a lot of whom are home grown.

Each scene is beautifully choreographed, pushing each and everyone of the dancers. Snow Tsarina (played by Emily Nicholson) was a huge highlight in an already exciting production, I'm sure I was not alone in anticipating her next entrance and saddened by her departure. To seamlessly and continuously glide on point from one side of the stage to the other was remarkable. The Alberta Ballet company provided a tremendous ensemble of the finest calibre, with a professional and supportive air to be proud of.

The scenes that preceded the intermission were by far and wide my favorite. I would see this production again just for them. They featured the Snow Tsarina and the snowflakes. By the end of the first half I wanted to be a snowflake ballerina!

The second half was filled with spontaneous applause at the end of elaborate and intricate dance segments, it's lovely to be in an audience that appreciates the performance they are watching.

 Even the rats were a delight to behold!

The costume design and the costumes were breathtaking in their beauty. So many beautiful men and women dressed in stunning costumes. I'm sure if you sold some of the designs during the intermission you would make a killing, there were at least three dresses I would have bought.

This production would not have looked out of place on the main stage at Sadler Wells London.

A top class production.

I cannot wait for the Alberta Ballet to be back in town!

By Leah Carmichael
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