The Nutcracker

It was composed by a Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1891-1892. He was a Russian composer during the Romantic Era, composing other memorable titles such as The Beauty and The Beast. But wow! Over a century old, and it still captivates audiences today. In fact, its the most popular ballet to date. Usually it plays around christmas time, and the story is rich and imaginative. A book, a ballet, and a great composition, The story concerns a young girl by the name of Clara, who recieves a toy Nutcraker at a family party, only to have it broken by a jealous sibling. It undergoes a small repair, and one night she goes to the family room to inspect her toy, only to find rats scurrying everywhere. They are about to overtake her when the nutcracker and several other toy soldiers come to life and her rescue. A climactic battle ensues, and in the end the Nutcracker kills the Mouse King with the help of Clara. They leave, and go to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. There they see several dances, and go off to live happily ever after. In some versions, it was all a dream, and Clara simply wakes up with the Nutcracker in her arms.

The story seems a little sappy, but watching it performed is always enjoyable. Yet in recent years, there have been a few critics here and there saying that the century-old tradition of performing the Nutcracker around Christmas-time is getting too old-fashioned. In with the old, sort of speak. Sarah Kaufman, dance critic for the washington post, is one who shares this sentiment. "My fear is that the field is... going to be winnowed down to only The Nutcracker, and that will be the sum total of the art," she says.

Watching dance recitals isn't on everybody's to do list, however. With a show such as The Nutcracker, which is a widely known performance, dance companies manage to stay afloat during these tough economic times. Without it, some say, there would be no revenue whatsoever for other productions. It seems as though the works of Tchaikovsky are here to stay, and they have found a nice place among the souls of the western world.