Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas, everybody!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Have a lovely time! Have fun! :) Xxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nucracker by The Royal Ballet

 

 

Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score combines with the magical choreography inspired by Lev Ivanov in an atmosphere of fantasy and the supernatural. Hoffman’s Christmas story unfolds with breathtaking splendour and beauty in the most festive and enduring of all ballets. 

 Act I
As conceived by Peter Wright, after the original book by Lev Ivanov. Herr Drosselmeyer (Anthony Dowell), a mysterious magician and creator of mechanical toys and clocks, was once employed at the royal palace, where he invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population. In revenge, the wicked Mouse Queen cast a spell on Drosselmeyer’s nephew, Hans-Peter (Ivan Putrov), which transformed him into an ugly nutcracker doll. The only way to break the spell is for the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King and for a young girl to love and care for him in spite of his awful appearance.

When Drosselmeyer is invited to entertain the guests at a Christmas party given by his friends, the Stahlbaums, he decides that this could well be the opportunity he has been looking for. The Stahlbaums have a daughter, Clara (Alina Cojocaru), who is a little younger than Hans-Peter. And what better time than Christmas, when the mice are busy stealing the leftovers, for a confrontation between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker? Drosselmeyer decides to put the Nutcracker in the tender care of Clara and makes a special Christmas angel to guide her through her task.

When all the guests have departed and the house is asleep, Clara, in search of the nutcracker doll, creeps downstairs and discovers Drosselmeyer waiting for her. He draws her into his own special world of fantasy, where time is suspended, and exerts all his powers to transform the living room into a great battlefield. Then he summons the Mouse King (Christopher Saunders). In the ensuing fight between the mice and the toy soldiers, the Nutcracker slays the Mouse King, but only through the intervention of Clara, who, out of compassion, saves the Nutcracker’s life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Act II

Restored to his real self, Hans-Peter dances with Clara, and they find themselves in the Land of Snow. Drosselmeyer then sends them on a magic journey to the Sugar Garden in the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy (Miyako Yoshida) and her Prince (Jonathan Cope). Freed at last from his imprisonment inside the nutcracker, Hans-Peter recounts to the Sugar Plum Fairy his great adventure and how Clara saved his life. They then join in a magnificent entertainment put on by Drosselmeyer to honor them for their bravery.

 

Returning to reality, Clara runs out into the street in search of Drosselmeyer and encounters a strangely familiar young man, while back in his workshop Drosselmeyer prays that his efforts will be rewarded. His nephew returns; the spell has indeed been broken.

 

 

 

 I can't wait to watch my Nutcracker Ballet DVD with a lovely warm drink and treats on Christmas Eve! :) xx 

 

 

 

The Orchard Book of Stories from the Ballet

A beautiful new edition of a classic ballet story collection.  Travel to the magical Land of Sweets across the Lemonade Ocean in The Nutcracker; be dazzled by the magical Firebird with her flame-bright feathers; and dance until the clock chimes midnight with Cinderella and her handsome prince.  Master storyteller Geraldine McCaughrean retells these classic tales with poetry and magic, while renowned artist Angela Barrett's exquisite illustrations dance off the page.

I love all the ballets, they are magical!  I also love Angela Barrett's gorgeous illustrations.  She is a wonderful illustrator! This book is lovely! :) xx

Cinderella Birmingham Royal Ballet

 

 

Neglected and abused by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella’s life is one of drudgery and hardship. Then, on the evening of an extravagant ball at the palace, amidst swirling, magical mists, her Fairy Godmother appears and casts a spell that will change her life forever.

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving at the ball in a beautiful dress, Cinderella draws everyone’s eyes to her, including those of the handsome Prince. He sweeps her off her feet and they dance the night away, until the clock chimes midnight and the party comes to an abrupt end.

 

 

 

 

Thrust back into her miserable existence, Cinderella can only dream of what might have been, until an unexpected royal visitor comes to her home, searching the land for the mysterious owner of a jewelled slipper...

 

 

 

 

This is a wonderful and magical ballet! xx

 

Ballet Shoes (2007)

 

 

 

The story revolves around three adopted sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, who live in near poverty with Sylvia Brown and Nana. Sylvia is the niece of "Gum" (Great Uncle Matthew), a somewhat wealthy paleontologist who one day leaves for an expedition and does not return, leaving the girls to fend for themselves. They have to sell some of his skeletons in order to clear rooms for boarders, the friendly, learned Dr. Jakes and Dr. Smith, the helpful dance instructor Theo Danes, and handsome John Simpson. The story eventually focuses on the various talents of the girls: acting, machinery and ballet.

 

Pauline has a talent for acting and auditions for the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. After getting the part, she lets her growing accomplishments go to her head and begins acting rudely and bossing her sisters around. Finally, her pride and constant rule-breaking lead to her losing the part to her jealous rival Winifred, teaching her an important lesson in humility. She tries film acting and finds it very difficult, exasperating the well-meaning director Mr Sholsky. At the end of the movie she is offered a contract from a studio in the United States, but only decides to go after realizing how the extra money could benefit her family.

 

 

 

 

Posy thinks about becoming a ballet dancer. After showcasing her amazing talent for ballet to one of the boarders, also a dancer, she begins attending an art school in order to be taught ballet. The ballet school's mistress, Madame Fidolia, is able to see instantly that Posy possesses considerable talent, and begins to teach her privately so that she may learn more advanced techniques. When Madame Fidolia suddenly suffers a stroke while watching a ballet with Posy, Posy is more upset over her own lost career opportunities than in the welfare of her beloved teacher. Deciding that she cannot give up on her abilities, she sneaks into a practice of a famous Russian ballet. After being caught, and after the initial dislike from the teacher for not being Russian herself, she impresses him with her ability to dance and is offered a part in the company, though she is required to move to Prague.

 

 

 

Petrova is Russian, though she does not speak any Russian, having been brought up in England. She wants to work with mechanisms, such as cars and motors. Her biggest wish is to fly, but Pauline convinces her to join a stage production; Petrova later warns her sister to cease prolonging this ordeal.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the film the other sisters (Pauline and Posy) promise to make their sister go down in history, and not themselves, since they have already got what they dreamed of. At the end of the film Petrova flies off in an airplane above the place of Sylvia's wedding with John Simpson, with whom Sylvia had fallen in love.

This drama is wonderful! I love it, it makes me feel warm and cosy! :) xx