I mentioned the other day here on the blog that Thiago and I took advantage of the end of the year to check things from our bucket list. One of them was to attend a ballet performance at Lincoln Center. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is one of the classic spectacles of the Christmas season in the city. We always wanted to see it and we ended up postponing it – but after a friend made some great comments, we finally bought our tickets.
First of all, I think it is interesting to give an overview of the Lincoln Center. This Upper West Side complex is home to twelve art companies including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New York City Ballet. The place includes presentations of these companies all year round and I would say that even if you do not go to see a show there, it is worth visiting the place, especially at night, since is beautiful – and it was featured on TV series like Gossip Girl.
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker performance takes place at the David H. Koch Theater, which has a breathtaking structure. There are five seating areas – orchestra, with the most privileged view – and first, second, third, and fourth rings. Our seat was in the fourth ring and although we were on top, I did not think our experience was muddled by it.
The origin of the Nutcracker, a classic Christmas Story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a family’s Christmas Eve celebration. Alexandre Dumas Père’s adaptation of the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann was set to music by Tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by Marius Petipa. It was commissioned by the director of Moscow’s Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, in 1891, and premiered a week before Christmas 1892. Since premiering in western countries in the 1940s, this ballet has become perhaps the most popular to be performed around Christmas time.
In the second act, Clara and the prince go to the Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The kingdom is presented through presentations that represent various parts of the world: chocolate from Spain, coffee from Arabia, tea from China, flute dancing, a waltz from flowers. There are several ballet performances – individual and group – and it was, of course, the part that I liked the most. The costumes are perfect, the dances are beautiful, everything is perfectly synchronized. Besides, there’s no telling about the orchestra: the music is perfect and the steps of the dances – and even the scenes from the first act – are synchronized with the music. Each number has perfect timing and the diversity of dances makes the whole presentation less tiring and more dynamic.
In the end, I think the play part helps giving more rhythm to the performance – if it was just dance, it might become very boring. It was a different and beautiful experience, for sure. I am curious to check out other ballet presentations at Lincoln Center. You can check the calendar here.
What you need to know:
- New York Ballet calendar has 4 seasons: Fall (mid-Sep mid-Oct), George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (end of Nov – end of Dec), Winter (end of Jan – beginning of March) and Spring (end of April – beginning of Jun)
- Tickets can be purchased through the website or at the box office. Remember that you can’t use e-tickets, so you can choose between receiving the tickets by mail or to get them at the box office. Prices start at $40.
- You can’t be late.
- The performance lasts two hours, with a 25 min intermission.
- Don’t worry about the dress code.
Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!
No Comments