Ballet "Nutcracker" (Saint-Michel Ballet Theatre)

Prologue

Christmas evening at the Stahlbaums' house. Uncle Drosselmeyer hurries along the snowy streets to the holiday. For the Stahlbaums' daughter Masha, he has prepared a special gift - a Nutcracker doll.

Act I

Scene I

Children are playing and dancing near the festively decorated Christmas tree. The adults come together for a ceremonial minuet, laughing at Grandfather Stahlbaum's old-fashioned pas. In the midst of the festivities, the doors of the house open and Drosselmeyer appears. He acts out puppet theater scenes for the children, which make them laugh, touch them, but also frighten them. Masha, who has been watching the performance with particular attention, unexpectedly receives a gift from Drosselmeyer - a Nutcracker. The toy evokes malicious ridicule from the children, but Masha likes it from the very first moment. The evening ends; the guests leave. The parents take Masha to bed, despite the girl's requests to play with the Nutcracker a little longer.

Scene II

The clock strikes midnight. In the bedroom window, Masha sees Drosselmeyer, who has miraculously turned into an owl. Trying to catch up with the wizard, she notices that the room's space is changing its usual outlines. Black shadows are rapidly spreading along the walls, foreshadowing the beginning of a mouse invasion. The gray hordes are led by the Mouse King, who gives the order to seize Masha. At the moment when the mice surround the girl, the Nutcracker appears at the head of a tin battalion. A fight ensues, where the Nutcracker, encouraged by Masha, defeats the Mouse King.

Scene III

In the empty room, Drosselmeyer finds the Nutcracker, transformed into a handsome Prince. The wizard tells the young man the story of an ancient spell, from which Masha's love helped him to free himself. Touched, he confesses his feelings to the girl and invites her to go to a fairy-tale land.

Scene IV

Their travels lead Masha and the Prince to a snowy forest. Everything here is permeated with an atmosphere of magic and celebration. Snowflakes dance joyfully, lining up in intricate figures and labyrinths. The fairy of the snowy forest blesses the union of Masha and the Prince and shows them the way to Konfeturenburg, the capital of the fairy-tale kingdom.

Act II

Scene V

The Prince and Masha arrive in Konfeturenburg, where magical dolls live behind the carved doors of marzipan houses. Drosselmeyer invites everyone to a celebration arranged in honor of the young lovers. A dance divertissement begins, where the dolls congratulate and part with the heroes. As a sign of the Prince's admiration for his chosen one, fragrant flowers fill the space of the city square. Filled with tenderness, Masha closes her eyes for a moment... At that very moment, the fairy-tale city and its inhabitants suddenly disappear.

Scene VI

Having woken up, Masha realizes that everything she experienced was a beautiful dream. The girl sees her parents' house in front of her, candles flickering in the windows. Suddenly someone calls out to her. It's Drosselmeyer. The wizard consoles Masha, convincing her that miracles will definitely return to her life.

About the performance:

In December 2021, the Saint-Michel Art Center presented the Russian premiere of its version of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's fairy-tale ballet on the stage of the Imperial Hermitage Theater. Soloists, ballet dancers, and the entire creative and technical staff of the company prepared an unforgettable gift for the audience - a performance that will take children and adults into the world of Christmas mystery and pleasant winter dreams.

Mikhail Venshchikov