“The ” By At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By James Cooper

TCHAI—COUGH—SKY

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “” is a classical piece beloved throughout the world. Adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” the story blends nicely with Tchaikovsky’s music, which fills the entire Hippodrome Theatre. While the music pulls the audience into a magical world, however, the dancing is mostly a bore. There are multiple instances where the dancers simply paint an emotion with their movements rather than truly experience it.

There’s a difference between exhibiting emotion and just illustrating emotion through movement. The former evokes emotion throughout the audience and the latter just shows the audience what this emotion looks like. During the party scene at the beginning of the show, there is an overall sense that the dancers are rushing. The agile dancers aren’t taking their moments and consequently exaggerate their emotions and take the audience out of the mentally.

For instance, this rushing causes the dancers to miss their marks and fall off the musical beat. This rhythmic error causes the audience to stray from life within the Russian castle and feel they aren’t truly witnessing a life-size nutcracker dance with a little girl at a Christmas party. The exaggerated emotions and missed beats create a disconnect between the performers and those watching.

Though it may be increasingly exaggerated at times, the dancing does have its breathtaking moments. When Drosselmeyer is giving out gifts to the small children at the party, a dancer portraying a doll in a red dress succeeds in evoking emotion by moving as if she were a stiff Barbie doll; her ability to stiffen her legs makes one smile in awe. This mix of boring and amazing performances takes the audience on a rollercoaster of responses.

“The Nutcracker” is a magical tale of the young Masha (Olga Kifyak) and her Christmas present of a nutcracker (Viktor Shchabarkov) from her Uncle Drosselmeyer (Vitaly Voloshin). After her brother Fritz (Ruslan Vovk/ Dmitriy Kolos) breaks her new nutcracker, Masha embarks on a mesmerizing dream filled with evil rats, trips to a land of sweets, visits to a winter wonderland and breathtaking performances by dancers from all over the world. Watching Masha experience all these new adventures continues to surprise the audience throughout the ballet.

The show opens to a very detailed backdrop of Drosselmeyer’s colorful castle as his party guests make their way to the front gate. Because this ballet requires a lot of floor space, it’s limited in the use of props. The uncredited set designer does a phenomenal job in using only elaborate backdrops to illustrate changes in environment. In the opening scene, this designer places the first backdrop—unlike the others—much closer to the edge of the stage to show the audience how far away the castle is in relation to the dancers.

Another fascinating concept is the synchronization of the below the stage, and the dancers above. The dancers need to be absolutely on point with the cues of the music and the orchestra needs to be completely on pace to make sure the dancers can hear all of their cues. Though this concept is important, the dancers don’t always match up with their cues during the performance. There are instances where dancers are so off pace with their kicks that it’s obvious to even the most oblivious audience member.

The performance makes up for this lack of synchronization with its clear and crisp orchestral performance. Though the orchestra is a very positive aspect of the show, there are occasional instances where the dancers impress the audience as well. During the ballroom scene towards the end of the show, a line of male dancers in pink leotards begin to spin rapidly in the air. This rapid spinning reminds one of the blades within a blender—spinning extremely quickly and slicing the air as the dancers do.

The dancers’ performances require an immense amount of strength, focus and trust. There are instances where the audience is in complete awe at the abilities of the dancers. In contrast, there are times where the dancers’ over-exaggeration of emotions rapidly pull the audience out of the world of .

For instance, the two unnamed characters in the Arabian dance (Elena Petrachenko and Sergey Chumakov) make for an amazing duo. The trust that they have when performing risky tricks radiates throughout the theater and creates an intense relationship with the audience. In many instances one can hear a simultaneous sharp inhalation from the audience at the sight of the dancers’ intricate performance.

During one of the final scenes, Petrachenko is wrapped around Chumakov’s body and falls, but does so in a gracefully quick manner, sharply slowing to catch herself right before her moment of impact with the ground—all while still attached to Chumakov’s body using her legs and arms. This is by far one of the most riveting moments throughout the whole show.

In contrast to this immensely interesting performance, Kifyak becomes increasingly exaggerated and unreal in her interpretation of Masha. As Fritz breaks her doll in the beginning of the show, Masha becomes terribly upset. It’s already hard for dancers to illustrate direct emotions solely with their bodies without words, but Kifyak does so in a very unbelievable way. To show that she’s upset, Kifyak turns her back and places her hands over her eyes as if to draw immediate attention to her supposedly crying disposition. It is as if she has no emotional connection and just wants to tell the audience that Masha is upset rather than showing the audience that Masha is upset.

The Ballet’s interpretation of “The Nutcracker” is geared towards children. The use of bright and soft colors in the backdrops remind one of an animated Disney film such as “Sleeping Beauty” or Hasbro’s childhood game Candy Land. Though this performance may blow the minds of young children, an adult may find the show boring. Because the sets are so childish and the acting is so overdone, an adult may have a hard time believing what the dancers are trying to convey.

The orchestral performance is amazing, and the occasional amazement of certain performers literally takes the audience’s breath away. From spinning blades to controlled falling, the Moscow Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is a performance any child would enjoy, creating exhilarating memories forever. Adults, on the other hand, may cherish the memory of taking their children to the show rather than actually seeing the show. “The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Dori Coplan

A BROKEN NUTCRACKER

“The Nutcracker,” now at the Hippodrome Theatre, began with men and women dancing across the stage to attend the Stahlbaums’ Christmas party. Once inside the house, the children twirled center stage in front of the radiant while the adults danced on the side. The scenery, although two-dimensional, created a lovely image of a whimsical home with bright pastel colors.

Yet the beautiful scenery was painfully undercut by the mediocre performers. Starting from the numbers “The Decorating and Lighting the Christmas Tree” and “Marche,” the professional dancers seemed to move obliviously to those around them, losing sync with one another and appearing almost sloppy. The orchestra is perfect, as are the artistic sets, but the dancers are different. Though they did not stray from the rhythm of the orchestra, they differed between one another by just milliseconds, but this was enough to cause audience members to feel that something was off throughout the ballet.

The play continued by telling the story of Masha who receives a life-size nutcracker as a present from her uncle. Although the live performance of Tchaikovsky’s compositions sounded incomparably melodious, the ballet itself was strangely lacking by comparison. Audience members were unsure where to focus their attention since the unsynchronized ballet combined with the fantastical scenery and the rich costumes created visual confusion.

The dancing talent expected from the performers left the audience dejected. After all, this troupe had traveled to America from Moscow as they celebrated their 20th anniversary. Even the main characters, Masha (Olga Kifyak) and (Viktor Shchabarkov), lacked the ballet flair expected of professional Russian dancers. Although Kifyak and Shchabarkov were not unskilled, the choreography did not allow them to display any audience-exciting moves such as graceful lifts or intricate footwork. Their choreography and that of almost all the other characters was at its best simply crowd-pleasing.

The only really breathtaking choreography was performed in Act II’s “Coffee (Arabian Dance)” by Elena Petrachenko and Sergey Chumakov. Wearing the red and blue scarves of the desert, the dancers employed snakelike, flexible moves which seemed to defy the laws of gravity. Chumakov nimbly picked Petrachenko up as if she were weightless; she continued to bend and then fluidly roll off Chumakov into a graceful split, all the while remaining perfectly in tune to the seductive live music. However, this number, despite its utter brilliance, could not redeem the ballet as a whole.

The plot detailed the story of Masha, a girl whose brother broke her new nutcracker shaped like a man. Dejected, she retired to her room and dreamed of saving her nutcracker from the Mouse King and turning him into a prince. The two of them then traveled to the Land of Sweets where they were greeted by delicacies from round the world. However, the plot was difficult to discern through the dancing alone. Had the choreography been less busy and more exact, with the dancers having more expression with their moves, the plot may have been more easily understood.

The most unforgivable part of the ballet occurred in Act I, during “Scene (Clara and the Nutcracker).” As a male dancer traveled onto the stage holding his cape open, the silhouette of another person could be seen from the audience behind him. Then, once the Nutcracker had defeated the Mouse King, he disappeared behind the man to change into a prince. The person behind the dancer most likely took the nutcracker mask from Shchabarkov. Yet what makes this unbelievable is that in a professional production they could not hide the stage crew from the audience, or at least mask the transition within the choreography.

Additionally, the scenery lacked dimension. Although the multiple backdrops offered fanciful images for each number, they were simply backdrops. However, because of this flaw, during “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” when fake snow began to fall on stage, an audible gasp came from the audience, quickly followed by applause. Due to this moment in the ballet, the lack of three- dimensional scenery could be ignored and even forgotten by the end of the performance. Therefore, the flaw in scenery allowed the unexpected snow to surprise the audience and utterly charm them.

Although Tchaikovsky’s classical compositions were flawlessly performed, the rest of the ballet lacked the skill level expected of a professional company. Therefore, as “Final Waltz and Apotheosis” came to an end and the curtains closed, the audience members dutifully applauded, stood up, put their coats on and left. “The Nutcracker,” arguably the most famous ballet, has been performed countless times with almost as many different choreographers. This specific performance is not the one to see.

“The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Abby Dohmeier

OFF BALANCE BUT FANTASTICALLY FUN

As I took my seat, I noticed the Hippodrome Theatre was packed with children. Ranging from two to 12, all fidgeted impatiently waiting for “The Nutcracker” ballet to begin. Their enthusiasm was catching and I found myself equally excited to see what lay behind the heavy, red-velvet curtains. The energy, pageantry and spirit exhibited throughout the show was worthy of that excitement, but as I watched the ballet I picked out some minor flaws.

Synchronization was off in such as the “Dance of the Parents” and the “Battle of the Tin Soldiers,” which detracted from the overall performance. The ballet also hired local Baltimore children to dance as mice, snowflakes and party children, but their presence in dances such as the “Waltz of the Snowflakes” seemed a little out of place. Finally, the dancing exhibited throughout the show, while beautiful, did not meet the standards one expected from the Moscow Ballet, with some dancers wobbling on their pointe shoes and the wow-factor seen in pieces like the “Coffee (Arabian Dance)” diminishing in “wow” during other scenes.

The classic holiday tale follows the Christmas adventures of Masha Stahlbaum (Olga Kifyak) after she receives a beautiful Nutcracker from her Uncle Drosselmeyer (Vitaly Voloshin.) When the clock strikes 12 she finds herself battling the evil Mouse King (Genadii Rybalchenko) and transported to the magical Land of Sweets ruled by the Sugarplum Fairy.

Masha and her Nutcracker, now in the form of a handsome prince, are then presented with a variety of edible delights from around the globe for their bravery in defeating the Mouse King. After being honored by the Sugar Plum Fairy with an exquisite dance, Masha wakes to find herself home with the Nutcracker, a doll once again, in her arms. Hoping to return to the magical land of her dream she settles back down to sleep and the ballet ends.

The best thing about this ballet was Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s score. The music was powerful and lovely, delivered live by the orchestra. You could feel the joy and festivity of the Stahlbaums’ Christmas party as the music soared up and down gaily and had the audience toe-tapping along. When Masha’s brother Fritz, played to naughty perfection by Ruslan Vovk, broke her beloved Nutcracker, the pulled at your heartstrings.

When the Sugar Plum Fairy danced, flutes and horns conveyed her regal stature with sophisticated melodies. The music during the “Presentation of Sweets” lifted you up and flew you around the world as Spanish chocolate, Arabian coffee and Chinese tea were all offered to Masha and the Nutcracker Prince.

The show’s costumes were a plus all by themselves. There were rich, shining gowns for the female partygoers and elegant tuxes for the males. Frothy, glittering tutus all colors of the rainbow adorned the inhabitants of the Land of Sweets and glittering garb for the Arabians (Elena Petrachenko and Sergey Chumakov) and Chinese dancers (Natalie Miroshnyk and Dmitriy Kolos). The costumes for the Dove of Peace (Elena Petrachenko and Sergey Chumakov) were particularly gorgeous. Each dancer had a huge, white-feathered wing affixed to an arm which could move and bend just like a real wing adding fabulous effect to their duet.

Even though the dancing did not live up to the standard one envisions for the Moscow Ballet, it was still impressive. One of the most explosive dances was “Coffee (Arabian Dance). Turning herself into a ring by bending over backwards until she gripped her ankles, Petrachenko was lifted above the head of her partner and dropped down his body like a hula hoop. The audience gasped as she jerked to a stop around his ankles just when it seemed she was about to crash into the floor. Acrobatics like this kept everyone in the theater holding their breath and then cheering for more.

When the final dance had been performed and the music triumphantly ended, I watched the audience of the Nutcracker leave their seats. All the children were smiling and excitedly babbling to their amused parents about their favorite parts. The performance by the dancers of “The Nutcracker” had accomplished its goal despite its few flaws. It provided a family-oriented, festive and enjoyable holiday memory for its viewers. The flaws I strained to pick out were far outweighed by the strengths of the ballet. I would wholeheartedly suggest this ballet to anyone with children or who is a child at heart.

“The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Laura Ebsworth

FALSE ADVERTISING, DISAPPOINTING PRODUCT

Upon hearing that the Moscow Ballet's "Great Russian Nutcracker" is performing at the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15, one would get the impression that a large group of highly trained and gifted dancers would take the stage to give a spectacular performance. In reality, over half of the cast are amateur local dancers that appear very under-rehearsed in comparison to the few Russian dancers the Moscow Ballet permitted to grace the stage on their national tour. Anyone looking to see “The Nutcracker” this holiday season should look elsewhere.

Throughout the show, the dancing sticks out like a sore thumb. The choreography overall is very simplistic and disjointed with Tchaikovsky’s music and storyline. This might be expected when amateur dancers have to be rehearsed and integrated into the company in such a short time, but in no way, shape or form should this be the case with the Moscow Ballet's principal dancers. Those dancers should have those parts because they are among the best dancers in the cast; therefore, they should have the ability to do choreography more advanced than what they attempt in this show.

In The Moscow Ballet’s version, “The Nutcracker” tells the story of at the Stahlbaum household. The night starts with a Christmas party, where all of the family’s friends arrive and celebrate the holidays together. Uncle Drosselmeyer (Vitaly Voloshin) appears and brings gifts for the children, including an elaborate Nutcracker for his niece Masha (Olga Kifyak). Because his gift was lackluster compared to the nutcracker, Masha's brother Fritz (Ruslan Vovk) becomes so outraged he breaks her doll. Drosselmeyer’s attempts to fix the doll fail and Masha soon drifts off to sleep.

In her dream, Masha shrinks to the same size as her precious doll, which has now turned lifelike, and gets thrown in the middle of the epic battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Genadii Rybalchenko). At its end, Drosselmeyer turns the Nutcracker into a handsome prince (Viktor Shchabarkov) who takes Masha on a journey to the Land of Peace & Harmony. The next morning, Masha finds she is safe and sound in her house with her Nutcracker nestled beside her.

The Moscow Ballet made countless weird changes to the plot of “The Nutcracker.” One change is that the Mouse King and the Nutcracker don’t stab each other in the battle scene. This is a pivotal plot change because if he never gets hurt, then Masha has no reason to be upset after the battle and to be overjoyed dancing with her prince afterwards. This change also affects the Mouse King, whose death is traditionally seen in the scene following the “Dove of Peace .” In this version, however, he leaves the stage and is seen invading the Land of Peace and Harmony in Act 2.

Another puzzling change is the absence of the Snow Queen and Dew Drop. Granted, in some versions (like this one), Masha plays the Snow Queen, but it is very appalling that the Moscow Ballet of all companies would cut such a prestigious principal role out of their "Nutcracker."

One other surprising change is the absence of "Angels" and "Mother Ginger." In the MBC’s version, "Angels" is replaced with the "Dove of Peace Variation” and "Mother Ginger" is replaced with a group dance between the Spanish, British, Chinese and Arabian dancers. The problem with the change is that the little children now have no solo dances of their own and instead have to be thrown into major duet and corps numbers such as "Snow" and the "Spanish Variation."

The younger children’s off-beat dancing and awkward movements that would normally appear charming in their staple numbers instead becomes a distraction from the more advanced dancers’ choreography. The nutcracker Drosselmeyer gives Masha during the party scene is also life-sized and moving like the three dolls before it; his size and movements in that scene eliminate all reason for Masha to be astonished when he comes to life during the Battle Scene.

An intentional choice that is a little disturbing is the relationship between Masha and her nutcracker. Shchabarkov and Kifyak’s chemistry on stage almost comes off as two lovers dancing with each other throughout Act One. This turns awkward in Act Two as they perform the "," the "Tarantella Variation" and the "Sugar Plum Fairy Variation" as themselves (unlike traditional versions where separate dancers perform them as the Cavalier and Sugar Plum Fairy). Considering the storyline consists of a child loving her new toy, the relationship they create should instead consist of Kifyak’s awe of her favorite toy coming to life and Shchabarkov’s happiness to be alive dancing with his owner.

The backgrounds are a little eccentric. When the Stahlbaums’ guests are coming to their house, a background of gates in front of a Russian castle are seen instead of the normal house the Stahlbaums live in. Also, in the Land of Peace & Harmony, a safari background adorned with animals is on display behind most of the variations. Tchaikovsky created the Act Two variations with the Land of Sweets concept in mind and Moscow Ballet made no changes to the costumes or choreography for these variations to step away from the traditional Land of Sweets theme. There is no reason for a lion and jungle to be seen behind the dancers in the Marzipan variation adorned in bright pastel colored costumes.

The lighting choices are cheesy as well as distracting. "The Nutcracker" is supposed to be a very regal ballet, and it is hard for the Moscow Ballet to achieve this flair when the lighting designer chooses to project six spinning clocks whirling all over the stage to emphasize that the clock has struck midnight during the battle scene.

Many costumes also look very cheap, especially in proximity to more expensive costumes. In “Snow,” the older amateur dancers are dressed in gorgeous, flowing light blue tutus, and the young ballerinas are dressed in unflattering and cheap baby-blue leotards. This poignant difference can also be seen when Masha is in her nightgown dancing with the Nutcracker. He is dressed in a vibrant red jacket with shiny opaque silver tights, while Masha is adorned in what looks like a bed sheet.

Nearly all of the company's male dancers are seriously lacking in dance training, which is surprising since they’ve been hired as permanent members. None of them can execute a clean double pirouette. The worst is Rybalchenko, who looks like he hasn’t danced a day in his life and it would be a struggle for him to get off of the ground. His lack of technique is most likely why he merely walks around the stage.

The Moscow Ballet would have been wise to opt for an actor to play the role instead. When the flower corps dances, it is apparent that the male dancers in the corps have more training than some of the males in the variations. These dancers do seem younger than the principal male dancers, which might explain why they aren’t principals themselves.

The principal female dancers seem to lack Russian technique. Kifyak's training sticks out the most as being non-Russian because when she does an attitude, her hip is extremely open. An open hip in an attitude or an arabesque is very atypical of Vagonava, he usual training for Russian ballet companies. Vagonava restricts the opening of the hips and instead dictates a very level and centered hip position for the execution of those movements. Kifyak's attitudes reflect Balanchine technique, meaning she was either trained in an American studio or her Vagonava teachers failed to correct her lines.

Moscow Ballet's choice of Kifyak as Masha is puzzling. She is definitely not the best dancer in the cast, but she most certainly is the best turner. If her turning abilities were the reason for her casting, then it is exceedingly odd that the Company decided to cut out the long turning sequence music and choreography in the “Sugar Plum Variation” and instead insert pointless and out-of- context turning sequence for her in the party scene.

The best dancers by far are Elena Petrachenko and Sergey Chumakov, who perform in "Moor Dolls," "Dove of Peace" and the "Coffee (Arabian Dance)." They perform extremely difficult yet entrancingly beautiful lift sequences that captivate the audience to the point where we became fully engaged by their story. Although it is apparent the two are not classically trained, the tricks they perform make the show worth seeing.

Their most captivating moment is the opening of Act Two when Chumakov suspends Petrachenko in the air as if she were the second dove wing. It takes the audience a few moments to realize he is holding a person as his other wing, but once they notice, “oohs” and “ahhs” erupt from the entire house.

When one hears that the Moscow Ballet is performing, one expects to be dazzled by pristine and elaborate dancing that cannot be seen somewhere else. Sadly, their performance of “The Nutcracker” is far from original or fantastic. Anyone wanting to see a decent performance of the show should see it at a local ballet company; the ticket prices are at least a quarter of the price (if not an eighth) and the company will have put much more thought into the product as a whole.

“The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Sierra Farrare

FAILURE TO LAUNCH

The first note floats from the pit below the Hippodrome Theatre stage and every member of the audience is perched on the edge of their seats, waiting for “The Nutcracker” to begin. The curtain rises; the house lights go down, and the spotlights come on, revealing a set that looks hand- drawn and painted for a Christmastime children’s storybook. The room falls silent; not a single person dares to look away from the stage. Expectations run high, and in the aspect of emotional appeal, this show will not disappoint.

But it should be kept in mind that some prior knowledge is required to get the full effect of the show. When it comes to sets that seem like pages from a children’s storybook and a score that can evoke emotions with musical inflections, “The Nutcracker” more than delivers. But when it comes to efficient and informative transitions, this show fails its audience.

We are first introduced to the characters gliding across the stage as they make their way to the Stahlbaum house. This scene and the one that follows drag considerably, due to a juxtaposition of similarly written songs and equally similar dance numbers—it feels like watching a skipping DVD; but eventually we meet Uncle Drosselmeyer (Vitaly Voloshin) who comes with fascinating presents and a few tricks up his sleeve.

Even without dialogue, the characterization of Drosselmeyer is impeccably executed. The other members of the ensemble stare at him in awe and shrink back when he nears them, but with wide eyes, they wonder, “What’s he going to do next?” The music takes on an almost cautious undertone; the wind section of the band providing a childlike playfulness, paired with the staccato, vivace strings section.

Through the entire first act, there are quite a few moments where the show seems to lag; the less important moments between the larger plot elements seem to loll along at a slower pace, though they do give the audience time to catch up. For it is painfully apparent that prior understanding of the story and unswerving attentiveness are completely necessary for enjoying this ballet, due to the show’s inability to strongly convey the minor plot points. For a majority of the first scene, for example, it is very hard to discern Masha from her brother due to similar costuming.

With a wave of Drosselmeyer’s wand and a flourish of whimsical violins, the Nutcracker is transformed into a prince. Masha (Olga Kifyak), whisked away to the land of dreams, finds herself surrounded by the Mouse King and his underlings, but like a textbook superhero, the Nutcracker Prince (Viktor Shchabarkov) comes to her rescue. Upon saving her, the duo travel to see the Snow Queen and her court.

This is an instance, however, that if not paying attention, one finds oneself lost and struggling to catch up. One moment the Nutcracker is defending Masha from the Mouse King, the next, the set changes and an entirely new group of dancers are gracing the stage. Who are these characters? Where did they come from?

This confusion is only compounded by the abrupt appearance of the intermission. As soon as the Snow Queen appears, and the audience finally has enough information to deduce what is going on in this scene, the curtain falls. The audience has no time to take in the new character; they say hello just to say goodbye.

In a show without dialogue, added importance is placed upon the costuming and precision of the dancers as well as the orchestral accompaniment. While the characterization of the characters Uncle Drosselmeyer and Masha is impeccable in the first act, the Nutcracker seems like a very flat and static character—be it through his movements or his solo variations. Shchabarkov seems to simply be a prop on stage; it appears as though he is supporting Kifyak, not partnering with her to head the cast list.

This failure to launch, so to say, only continues. While the second act moves at a significantly better pace and is overall better executed than its predecessor, it relies heavily on the scene that features the “Grand Pas de Deux.” The playbill barely provides any clarity; there is no list of scenes, score or musical numbers—and one actor (Shchabarkov) even goes uncredited.

The ballet takes a turn for the horribly desperate, pulling out all the stops, presenting its finest tricks and acrobatics, during the “Grand Deux Pas.” It’s not that the dancers aren’t talented nor that the choreography is not phenomenal, but the integrity is lost and it appears more as though the dancers are five-year-olds, begging for attention from a distracted parent—“Look at me, look at me! Look what I can do!”

Of course, the Nutcracker Prince cannot remain a prince forever, and Masha must return to the world of reality. As the duo begins to bid their farewell to Masha’s land of dreams, a dance number riddled with variations ensues. The audience members, though clearly confused as to when to applaud, seem to enjoy the scene for its face value—exquisite ballet. But, to some, it may come across as a rushed way to “tie it all up with a bow.” When the show ends, one might find oneself questioning, “Is that really it?”

The only group of people who will one hundred percent enjoy this production are those who are completely invested in ballet and have an extensive understanding the story of “The Nutcracker Suite,” or those willing to be blissfully ignorant of the gaping holes left in the plot by the massive failure to provide strong characterization.

“The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Ben Fisher

A CHRISTMAS TRADITION FOR GOOD REASON

“The Nutcracker” so failed to impress on its original opening night in 1892 that it was considered a flop on all levels. Such is not true today; “The Nutcracker” is one of the most famous in the world and a staple amongst dance companies, especially around Christmas time where people flock to see the dancing and listen to the now-iconic music. The Moscow Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” now at the Hippodrome Theatre, is a bit different from the original production, with a new dance and plot, but still fun.

The minor changes include a great new dance, the “Dove of Peace,” to accompany the set change from the Land of Sweets to the Land of Peace and Harmony. The main character’s journey is now a search for peace. The ballet hopes to promote world peace and diversity, rather than sweets, which is a welcome change.

The Moscow Ballet’s production, despite a slow, seemingly purposeless ending, is overall well done with a number of highlights. The choreography and the dancers themselves are extraordinary, as is the live orchestra (thankfully not a recording), who keep a fast tempo throughout the night.

The ballet starts with children and parents being escorted to a party. This is as much a runway for the gorgeous costumes as it is a showcase for the dancers. Here is a prelude to the rest of the show; all the scenes are brightened by the talented costume designer, Arthur Oliver. The women are dressed in layered ensembles of vibrant colors, and the men don fancy tuxedos with embellished collars, sleeves and in some cases capes.

Unfortunately, this creates a contrast between the costumes and the lackluster backgrounds. The large painted backdrops are somewhat childish and seem to be more appropriate for a nursery school than a ballet production. Because the entire stage is needed for leaps and bounds, therefore not permitting an actual set, more effort could have been put into the backdrops, which make the entire show look cheap. A simplistic setup is not to be frowned upon, but at least make it the same caliber of the rest of the show.

One of the nice touches of the ballet is the inclusion of children from local dance schools, who are featured throughout the show. It is great to see a renowned company such as the Moscow Ballet taking interest in providing opportunities for aspiring, young dancers. The experience is surely enthralling for the kids and while they are not professionals, they are all (almost) in sync.

The dancing throughout the entire show is impressive, performing some mind-boggling leaps and spins, sometimes all on the tips of the ballerina’s toes. There are only minor synchronization issues with the cast.

The first act features notable performances by the leads: Masha (Olga Kifyak), Uncle Drosselmeyer (Vitaly Voloshin) and the Prince (Viktor Shchabarkov). Kifyak and Shchabarkov tackle the challenging roles with vigor and manage to shine in both solo and group performances. The endurance alone to continue dancing at such an intense level for so long must be exhaustive, but strain is one thing never shown from the pair.

The story follows Masha as she receives a large as a Christmas present from her uncle, only to have it be broken by her brother Fritz (Ruslan Vovk). In a saddened state she retires to her room and, in her dreams, is thrown into a world of living , evil mice and international dancers.

One of the more exciting parts of the show is the performances of the dancers representing the different countries; it is a welcome change from the more traditional ballet that has been seen throughout the show. There is nothing wrong with a little variety in a show. This all takes place in the new Land of Peace and Harmony, designed to promote cooperation beyond borders. Each dance is able to capture the unique culture of the country being represented and to liven up the second act.

Spain is represented by a fast, flamenco-like dance, including the use of . The Chinese dance is very swift and jumpy; the dancers, clad in bright yellow jackets embroidered in flowers and Chinese characters, never have their feet on the ground long. They hop enthusiastically all through the dance.

Arabia offers a smooth, dazzling display of acrobatics. France remains elegant and traditional; the dancers dressed in royal blue with children walking toy sheep on the outskirts of the stage are most similar the rest of “The Nutcracker.” Russia’s dancing contains much spinning, whether it be in the air or on the floor. Masha witnesses these dancers as she travels the world in her dreams in search of world peace in the new plot line.

A new number by the Moscow Ballet this year is the “Dove of Peace” danced by Sergey Chumakov and Elena Petrachenko. At first two large, white wings seem to be attached to the arms of one dancer, but it turns out to be two entirely different people each with a wing attached to one arm. Chumakov and Petrachenko perform a feat of acrobatics and contortionism to create this novel, surprising addition to the ballet.

The two dancers also, not surprisingly, are the crowd favorites as the Arabian dancers, receiving deafening applause and even gasps of disbelief—and rightfully so. Petrachenko, in a costume as airy and flowing as her dancing maneuvers atop of Chumakov like a snake, fluidly and effortlessly. At one time, she manages a handstand on his one arm.

The Arabians arrive at a key time in the ballet, when the plot becomes somewhat confusing and lacking in a purpose. The story becomes more about an exhibition of exotic talents rather than the adventure of Masha in the Land of Peace and Harmony. It is hard to justify the purpose of number of the second-act dances, like the pink-heavy number amongst the pillars of some faraway castle. The ballet starts to drag on with solo performances from the two leads followed by a final, quick performance from the different countries before the enormous cast takes a final bow.

The final bow proves to be a relief, but the night is not considered a loss. While the ending is slow, the rest of the show (mostly the Arabians really) proves to be great entertainment and a spectacle to both the eye and ear. The Moscow Ballet should be commended for this rendition, especially the added addition of the “Dove of Peace,” banking on the talents of Petrachenko and Chumakov. “The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Theron Mercadel II

THE NUTCRACKER OR THE SLEEPER?

“The Nutcracker,” as performed by the Moscow Ballet at the Hippodrome Theatre, was an artistic spectacle to be sure. There was a plethora of tutus, beaded costumes and seamless acrobatic lifts—everything one would expect from such a prodigious performance. The only problem was that it left one more dazed than dazzled, especially if one were unacquainted with the show—or ballet in general.

Anyone could be amazed by the feats of strength and grace displayed, but it takes experience to appreciate them and interpret them. A great example is the opening number where a fleet of dancers bowed and leaped across the stage before the background of a castle gate. For those that possess a mild knowledge of the story it was easy to make the connection between the four sets of guests arriving and the four groups of exotic dancers that performed the variations in Masha’s dream. To the untrained eye, however the action on stage appeared to be random people following fairies.

Connecting the guests to the exotic dancers is crucial to comprehending the plotline later in the show. If the audience members do not grasp this concept early on they will be too distracted to enjoy the action. While the brief summary in the program did alleviate some of the confusion, the task of matching dancers to character names actually increased the audience’s disorientation. When one expected some sort of Snow Queen to appear, naturally one searched for her, and if one attached the right name to the wrong performer, an entire scene could be misunderstood.

One of the major issues was the show’s accelerated pace. Because the scenes flowed so well the abstracted relationships lost power. In conventional theater, it is easier to determine these relationships by what the characters say whether directly to a character or as an aside. Unfortunately, because the dancers’ faces remained blank for the whole performance, they could not depict deeper emotions such as envy, disappointment or embarrassment. While the orchestra performed the score well, it did not add any dimension; it merely changed the mood from overjoyed to melancholy.

With that said, the dancing was gorgeous. The ballerinas moved with precision during the group steps and took charge of the stage when they had their solos. Clearly outshining the other dancers was the pair performing “Coffee (Arabian Dance),” which focused more on acrobatic work than the choreographic fidelity of the French and Chinese Variations. Once Elena Petrachenko leaned forward, nearly parallel to the ground as her partner, Sergey Chumakov, held her with his back parallel to the ground itself. It was amazing to view such beautiful dexterity.

In another instance Chumakov remained rigid as Petrachenko glided from behind his neck, past his arms down to his outstretched legs to the floor. Again, we the audience could feel the trust built between the two. This exposition of teamwork revealed a higher understanding of bodies in space and how they relate to each other. It is hard enough to perform with skill and talent alone, but to dance at such a level with someone physically dissimilar from yours is truly extraordinary.

We each have advanced understanding of how our bodies move in space, where our center of gravity lies, how far we can reach with our arms, how much force a muscle group can exert, etc. Working with another body in motion requires additional expertise, because even twins don’t move in perfect sync. Any kind of weight sharing, especially on the level displayed by Chumakov and Petrachenko is a venture into exploring strength as much as trust.

The pair astounded even more when they performed together as the Dove of Peace. Donning white costumes and a single, large wing attached to each left arm, they danced with a peculiar finesse. The character they built as the dove was distinct from the characters they portrayed in their Arabian episode.

Assisting the Moscow Ballet were teenage and adolescent dancers. Surprisingly these local students were precise and mature as dancers themselves. They were not fumbling around missing moves and off-rhythm like children on viral videos. They had a sense of rhythm and understood the style and nuances of their dance to execute their choreography. What impressed the most was that they were not trying to upstage one another as though that show was their only chance under the spotlight.

If you are looking for a show that challenges you to peek into the depth of your emotions this is definitely not what you’re looking for. “The Nutcracker,” much like other Christmas pageants, does not have a through line. There is no great message to take from it, because it is solely an extravaganza of well executed dance and musical prowess. Marking a great dance performance are dancers that can control their body with finesse as much as precision. Their motion is aesthetically pleasing as a unit as well as individually. The Moscow Ballet’s performance executed these cornerstones adroitly. “The Nutcracker” By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky At the Hippodrome Theatre through December 15

By Deshaun Steele

THE GREAT CRACKING OF THE NUT

As we enter the world of the “The Nutcracker," we are given a warm welcome by a Russian family and their many friends at the local Christmas Festival. In an environment full of candles and a very tall Christmas tree, gifts are received and exchanged from parent to child and from one adult to another. This blissful event is quickly broken by the orchestra’s inability to echo the mood of the performers. This party is very joyful and upbeat while the music implies more of a slow or sad vibe. As the orchestra continues in a tone that does not fit this happy setting we are forced to discount the show's music.

As pleasurable emotions spread from the partygoers to us, we become members of this festival and no longer uninvolved witnesses. The children respond to their gifts from Uncle Drosselmeyer (Vitaly Voloshin) with twirls, spins and similarly ecstatic movements. These extraordinary gifts are toys played by actual performers: the Kissy Doll (Anastasia Kazakova), the Harlequin Doll (Dmitriy Pelmegov), the Moor Dolls (Elena Petrachenko and Sergey Chumakov) and the Nutcracker Prince (Viktor Shchabarkov ).

Later each of these unique gifts express their countries of origin (Spain, Arabia, China, France and Russia) in dance and body language. The Chinese dolls use jerky, jumpy and unstable movement, while the Arabians show their flexibility in acrobatic stunts such as standing on each other’s head and freefalling off of one another’s bodies.

The characters throughout “The Nutcracker” are not very strong. In scenes such as the Christmas festival the costumes fit the setting very well, using strong and bright colors to give us a warm holiday feel. But in other scenes such as the Mouse King’s arrival the costumes do not fit the setting at all. The mice are wearing purple shirts, tops and leggings; the only hint that these performers are mice are the large, paper rodent heads and tails. This small, unnoticed costume issue may cause raise many potential problems to for someone that who has no prior knowledge of “The Nutcracker.”

This was not very welcoming to newcomers to “The Nutcracker.” If you have no prior knowledge, you will have a no clue what’s going on during this show. Every scene throughout this play has a background story and a message to be presented, but there is no narrator to introduce the plot and the few hints provided by the playbill are insufficient to clear up the confusion. If a quick narration were given shortly before each scene of "The Nutcracker" misunderstanding would easily be avoided.

Rather using an actual environment with props, “The Nutcracker” uses two-dimensional backdrops to quickly change the setting between scenes, so the performers are free to move without the caution. Towards the end of “The Nutcracker,” during “Spanish Variation” when Spanish toys come to life, children bring rocking horses onto the stage. No props have been used throughout this entire play until the last 15 minutes which makes one wonder why props were not used earlier to enhance the environment. This could be a great tool to give us a better understanding of what is going on.

A percentage of “The Nutcracker” audience does not have any prior knowledge, so why not give us a clue or small hint to keeps us at a decent understanding with what is going on rather than losing our attention? Several times one will get an idea of what is going on in “The Nutcracker,” but then an unexpected character is thrown into the scene and begins to dance leaving you to thoughts such as why are they there, who they are and what is about to happen?

I do not recommend this play to anyone that does not have a great interest in ballet plays or does not have any prior knowledge on “The Nutcracker.” “The Nutcracker” is written for a very specific group of people who know this story or enjoy ballet plays; this play is not very welcoming to anyone on the fence.