The Russian State Ballet - The Nutcracker

Performed by the Russian State Ballet - one of the premier ballet companies in the world - The Nutcracker came to the Plymouth Pavilions.

I have never been to the ballet before, therefore I had no expectations of what I was about to witness, the only contact I have had with the Nutcracker in the past is on my children’s Mickey Mouse video, but to describe the ballet in a nutshell (sorry!), The Nutcracker is the most famous of fantasy ballets, with Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score transporting us to a fantasy world where toy dolls come to life, an army of toy soldiers does battle with a gang of mice and a Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince.

Backed by a large stage set, and superb live orchestra, it (surprisingly) proved to be quite captivating, I cannot begin to pass any expert comments on the quality of the dancers movements or performance but to me the whole thing seemed to be fluid, graceful and effortless, and was very well received by those present to witness the performance.

As a (sceptical) first time ballet goer I found a great deal to admire in the performances. The timing and control of the dancers was spectacular, I have to admit that the solo dances were a bit lost on me but as a company on stage it was excellent, with some of the most amazing costumes I have seen helping to bring the story to life. I had thought that Ballet had a reputation as an upper class entertainment, but, the very eclectic crowd of all ages, who were very knowledgeable in its reactions to the performances, went to show that ballet is an art form for all to enjoy.

I personally surprised myself and thoroughly enjoyed the night, If you have not witnessed a ballet first hand before, put it on your to-do list, go with an open mind, and see what you can get out of it, it might just surprise you.

Greg Taylor