Coming in next on our list is the 2019 Nutcracker by The Joffrey Ballet School Trainee Program. This production of the Nutcracker is filled with bright training ballet dancers of pre-professional level and younger that absolutely shine throughout the entire show. From the party scene to the Hello FTT Family and welcome to another From The Top blog post! Today we are celebrating another beloved Nutcracker season with a short list of some of our favorite Nutcracker performances of the past few years! As dancers, the Nutcracker ballet is a holiday tradition that will always hold a place in our hearts. From its distinguishable characters to its iconic score, this is a ballet production that will never go out of style and throughout the years we have seen it done flawlessly by some many amazing companies. So today we are going to be sharing some of our favorite Nutcracker productions by some of our personal favorites and as even more of a treat, we will link all of these productions below so that you can watch all of them online! Now without further ado, grab some hot coco, your dance bffs and let’s get started!
- Nutcracker Ballet Performance by Astrakhan Ballet and Opera Theatre
First on the list is the Astrakhan Ballet and Opera Theatre’s production of this holiday classic! Visually stunning and choreographed beautifully, this production of the Nutcracker is a must see. The ballet itself is choreographed in a way where the transitions between one scene to the next are done flawlessly and seamlessly, making everything flow into a beautiful outcome. Our favorite amongst the production is the snow performance, which is danced fantastically, holding your attention from start to finish. In short, we give this performance two thumbs up (and a few snowflakes)!
- 2011 Nutcracker Ballet Performance by The New York City Ballet
One thing that is for sure about the New York City Ballet is that they put on fantastic Nutcracker performances! This production that the company put on in 2011 is definitely one that we always find ourselves watching again and again. The dazzling set, beautiful wardrobe and crisp production of the ballet itself is a sure standout amongst the crowd of other Nutcracker performances. One performance that really stands out to us is that of the Arabian piece danced by Teresa Reichlen. Not only was the choreography fresh and unique, but the incorporation of bells added onto the costume to coincide rhythmically with the choreography to the music was an excellent touch on such a well known piece. All-in-all, this is definitely a must watch on your Nutcracker Ballet watch list.
- 2019 Nutcracker Ballet Performance by The Joffrey Ballet School Trainee Program
One thing that is for sure about the New York City Ballet is that they put on fantastic Nutcracker performances! This production that the company put on in 2011 is definitely one that we always find ourselves watching again and again. The dazzling set, beautiful wardrobe and crisp production of the ballet itself is a sure standout amongst the crowd of other Nutcracker performances. One performance that really stands out to us is that of the Arabian piece danced by Teresa Reichlen. Not only was the choreography fresh and unique, but the incorporation of bells added onto the costume to coincide rhythmically with the choreography to the music was an excellent touch on such a well known piece. All-in-all, this is definitely a must watch on your Nutcracker Ballet watch list.
- Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker by Debbie Allen Dance Academy
A FTT favorite that was actually featured as our very first “Dance TV Thursday”, The Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s production of the “Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” is truly a production to behold! A dance classic with a twist, legendary dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen has taken this well known production as we have known it and remixed it in the best way possible! Not only does this Nutcracker production include its classic ballet roots, but you will also see other styles integrated in such as hip-hop, bollywood and so much more! This production is a must see and is available to be viewed online via the fantastic documentary of the same name available now on Netflix!
- 2018 Nutcracker Ballet by The Royal Ballet
And last, but certainly not least on this list we have the 2018 Nutcracker Ballet performed by none other than the Royal Ballet! As a company, The Royal Ballet has a reputation of putting on fantastic productions and their yearly performances of the Nutcracker never disappoint. The 2018 production in particular, however, is a personal favorite of ours. Amongst the many memorable moments seen in this production, our favorite would definitely have to be the classic “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” danced by Marianela Nunez, who performed this iconic piece with so much style and grace. We absolutely love this interpretation of this ballet and you can experience that magic for yourself by streaming it on Marquee TV!
As always, we thank you all so much for stopping by and spending this lovely Friday with us! We hope you have a wonderful time looking through and enjoying all of these awesome Nutcracker performances this holiday season! We wish you a great weekend filled with love, light and remember…
Keep dancing!
Lexi
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