Nutcracker Ballet Gives Stunning Performance
Fort Worth ballet provides a holiday treat
Eileen Casey
Issue date: 12/11/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Last Sunday, the Texas Ballet Theater performed "The Nutcracker" at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. UD students packed both shuttles eager to see one of the classics of Christmas pastimes and get ready for the spirit of the season. The show was about two hours long, and was entertaining till the very last pirouette. Clara, Fritz, and the rest of the party guests gave the audience a delightful scene of a Christmas party, with rambunctious children, impatient adults and decrepit grandparents had fun dancing the night away. Once Dr. Dosselmeyer appeared, the mood changed. A dark, mysterious figure with an eye patch and cape, he brought two toy nutcrackers that wowed the guests. It wasn't until the clock struck twelve and the sleepy children, tired adults went to sleep that, in her dreams, Clara's Nutcracker soldier, a gift from Dr. Drosselmeyer, would come alive and take her to a marvelous world full of magic.
One of my favorite things about the Nutcracker is the music. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra did an excellent job playing Tchaikovsky's composition. The costumes and scenery design were exactly how you would imagine it: from the King Rat and his mice to the ever-growing Christmas tree to the snowfall in the audience. The Snow Queen and Sugar Plum fairy gave remarkable performances and captured the crowd's astonishment with their tremendous grace on Pointe.
The Spanish dancers gave much flare to their show for Clara, while the Arabian dancers displayed their extraordinary talent and flexibility. The Chinese dancers fought in step with the music with staffs, flipping each other in the process. Gopak demonstrated his strength with incredible leaps, turns, and jumps, which the audience loved, and the Waltz of the Flowers was beautifully choreographed. The monster-sized Madame Bonbonaire and her 12 little children gave a funny twist to the end, all fitting under her skirt while she danced on her toes.
Clara waved goodbye to all her new friends, and left in her sleigh, only then to waking up from her dream as the Nutcracker salutes her. The audience burst into applause and cheered for all the dancers one by one as they took a bow. The Texas Ballet Theater's rendition of "The Nutcracker" was wonderful and made me even more excited for Christmas to come. The only thing I could have wished was to sit closer.
One of my favorite things about the Nutcracker is the music. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra did an excellent job playing Tchaikovsky's composition. The costumes and scenery design were exactly how you would imagine it: from the King Rat and his mice to the ever-growing Christmas tree to the snowfall in the audience. The Snow Queen and Sugar Plum fairy gave remarkable performances and captured the crowd's astonishment with their tremendous grace on Pointe.
The Spanish dancers gave much flare to their show for Clara, while the Arabian dancers displayed their extraordinary talent and flexibility. The Chinese dancers fought in step with the music with staffs, flipping each other in the process. Gopak demonstrated his strength with incredible leaps, turns, and jumps, which the audience loved, and the Waltz of the Flowers was beautifully choreographed. The monster-sized Madame Bonbonaire and her 12 little children gave a funny twist to the end, all fitting under her skirt while she danced on her toes.
Clara waved goodbye to all her new friends, and left in her sleigh, only then to waking up from her dream as the Nutcracker salutes her. The audience burst into applause and cheered for all the dancers one by one as they took a bow. The Texas Ballet Theater's rendition of "The Nutcracker" was wonderful and made me even more excited for Christmas to come. The only thing I could have wished was to sit closer.
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