>>PREVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
Runs December 21 to 24
Alberta Ballet
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
The Nutcracker ballet has become a family tradition not only in North America but also in nearly every major centre around the world. This holiday season, cities in Japan, China, Europe, South America, Australia, Africa and the United Arab Emirates will have audiences enjoying one of the many versions of The Nutcracker.
Alberta Ballet’s 26-year-old Yukichi Hattori has danced three different versions of this holiday favourite for dance companies in Japan, Germany and Canada. "By the end of this holiday season, I will have performed well over 90 shows of The Nutcracker," says Hattori, who joined Alberta Ballet just four months ago after dancing with Hamburg Ballet (Germany) for seven years.
"No matter what dance company you are with, you are going to be dancing The Nutcracker around this time of year," says Hattori. "For some dancers it’s a bit of a curse, but I still enjoy it after all these years." Hattori first danced in The Nutcracker when he was 11 years old and still living in Japan. He played one of the children and later took on the role of Fritz, Clara’s brother.
The Nutcracker ballet is based on the book The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by German author E.T.A Hoffman, published in 1816. In 1891, French choreographer Marius Petipa commissioned Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to write the music for the ballet. The very first performance of The Nutcracker took place in Russia in 1892 and was eventually performed in Western Europe during the 1930s, seeing its first full-length debut in the United States in 1944.
Alberta Ballet will be performing its 25th season of The Nutcracker this holiday season. It missed only one year since it was first performed in 1980, due to the closure of the Jubilee Auditoriums in 2004. Alberta Ballet’s first Nutcracker was choreographed by its third artistic director Brydon Paige, and performed until the following artistic director Ali Pourfarrokh created his version of The Nutcracker, which the company performed for the first time in Regina in 1995.
The current Nutcracker performed by Alberta Ballet was choreographed by former artistic director Mikko Nissinen in collaboration with Ballet British Columbia and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and had its stage debut in the year 2000. Alberta Ballet is currently touring The Nutcracker in several cities, including Victoria, Vancouver and Spokane, further to entertaining crowds in its two host cities, Edmonton and Calgary.
Hattori says that the version of The Nutcracker that he is dancing with Alberta Ballet is quite similar to the one he danced in Japan. "The main difference is that at the end of the show in Japan, all of the dancers would do a little dance to a medley of Christmas songs. Other companies in Japan would have dancers throw little stuffed animals as gifts into the audience," says Hattori.
The Hamburg Ballet version of The Nutcracker, interestingly, has completely moved away from the Christmas theme. The story revolves around Clara’s birthday and her dream of becoming a great ballerina. This production doesn’t involve any children but is still loved by families and is a great hit during the Christmas season, explains Hattori. But, Hattori admits, "I prefer doing The Nutcracker with children. I like the idea of passing on what was given to me as a child to other children today." Hattori’s favourite scene in the ballet is when the Mouse King and mice are running around and engaging in the battle scene. "I just love watching the kids having fun," he says.
This season, Hattori will be dancing the "Russian Dance in the Land of Sweets," a powerful number that requires great strength and agility. "When I’m dancing in The Nutcracker, my goal is to entertain and bewitch the audience and give them a wonderful Christmas feeling," he says. "I also hope to inspire people to come to the ballet more often and to explore the performing arts in general." |
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