The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without seeing the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” on stage at least once. Here are three local takes on the Tchaikovsky classic this season, in a nutshell.
Manassas Ballet Theatre
The title: The Nutcracker
The choreography: Traditional, as staged by MBT ballet master Vadim Slatvitskiy
The sets: Hand-painted by in-house artists
Number of dancers: 80
What sets it apart: Live music, for one thing—the ballet company’s orchestra brings about 30 more artists to the party. It’s also a professional production with experienced dancers from around the world. They’re double- or even triple-cast, so different dancers perform the leads in almost every show.
Where: The Hylton Performing Arts Center
When: 7:30 p.m. December 16–17; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. December 18; 3 p.m. December 19 and December 21–23
Tickets: $35–$75
Info: manassasballet.org
Asaph Dance Ensemble
The title: The Nutcracker: Clara’s Christmas
The choreography: Original, by Robert Sturm and Robin Conrad Sturm, based on the classical choreography.
The sets: “Very simple,” says director Daniel Faudree.
Number of dancers: 65–70
What sets it apart: A Christian take on the classic tale. “The goal was to communicate that the meaning of the season is not to be caught up in the sweets, events and parties, and gifts—especially a nutcracker—or the hope of finding love,” says Faudree. “Instead, it can be found in the reality of a hope that is to be found in the birth of Jesus Christ.”
Where: The Hylton Performing Arts Center
When: 3:30 p.m. December 12
Tickets: $30 for adults; $20 for children under 12 and seniors
Info: hyltoncenter.org
Dorrance Dance
The title: The Nutcracker Suite, or, We Present to You: The Nutcracker Suite or, a Rhythmaturgical Evocation of the Super-Leviathonic Enchantments of Duke and Billy’s Supreme Adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Masterpiece That Tells a Tale of a Misunderstood Girl Who Kills a King and Meets a Queen and Don’t Forget OOOO-Gong-Chi-Gong-Sh’-Gon-Make-It-Daddy, and That It Ain’t So Bad After All
The choreography: Clara doesn’t jeté and pirouette here—she taps, slides, struts, and dives.
The sets: As sequined, spangled, and rainbow-bright as the eye-candy costumes
Number of dancers: Approximately 20
What sets it apart: If you couldn’t tell from the title, this is not your grandmother’s Nutcracker. Instead, it’s a joyful, jazzy interpretation from 20th-century swing kings Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
Where: The Kennedy Center
When: 8 p.m. December 3–4
Tickets: $25–$79
Info: kennedy-center.org
Feature image, © Ruslan/stock.adobe.com
This story originally ran in our September issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
