The real story

Do you think you know the story of The Nutcracker?  Clara is given a nutcracker on Christmas, and it comes alive, leading her as her prince through a magical kingdom of living snowflakes, flowers, and dancing treats.  You might be surprised to learn, however, that this is not the full story.

As occurred with the fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm, The Nutcracker became somewhat watered down and less frightening as time went on; it actually started out as a bit of a creepy tale, very unlike the story that now entrances adults and children alike.  The article that I found about this is called, "No Sugar Plums Here: The Dark, Romantic Roots of 'The Nutcracker.'"  Naturally, I couldn't resist an article with that title.

The article gives the real author of The Nutcracker, a man by the name of E.T.A. Hoffmann: remember, Tchaikovsky only wrote the score (the music) for the ballet, not the actual story itself.  Hoffmann, similar to his fictional character Drosselmeier, seemed very interested in the animation of the inanimate, and the interview even reveals that one of his stories was the vague basis for another ballet, Coppelia, which is about a man who falls in love with an automaton girl.  Hoffman's original story was called, "The Nutcracker and Mouse King," and it followed the small adventure of a girl named Marie who, concerned for a broken nutcracker toy, is amazed when it comes to life and battles an army of mice with its toys.  The dark aspect of this story, though, is that the events take place, "...in what is either the child's delirious nightmare, or perhaps another reality into which she wanders."  Creepy, right?  I never thought of the ballet like that; it always seemed a beautiful dream or childhood adventure that Clara/Marie wandered into.  Now that I think about it more, though, even that is a bit odd...

Here's one of the most interesting sections of the article, though:

"Hoffmann, Zipes adds, wanted to make sure his readers knew that Marie was aware of the contrast between her life with the rule-bound Stahlbaums, and the dream world of The Nutcracker, 'a world of imagination, a world of her choice, where she can also make decisions that are more in accord with her own imagination.'"

This dynamic of power within the family is intriguing and suggests that Marie escaped into her imagination (perhaps a euphemism for going crazy) in order to free herself from her family's strict regulations.  The article points out that her family's name, "Stahlbaum," means "steel tree," so this perhaps is an indicator of the steel structure present in the house that forces Marie's childish insanity.

Although I like the modern versions of The Nutcracker, the original just can't be beat.  It's dark and thought-provoking in a more intellectual way than the ballet is today, and I like that.  Would I want children to see it?  I'm not sure about that, but I think they should know the real story before making a choice.

"Dance-ish"

This is what Kenichi Ebina dubs his performance.  A bit of dance, a bit of martial arts, a bit of everything, he says.  The following video has garnered over 22 million views since its posting by America's Got Talent in June of this year.  If you're not one of the 22 million (as I was a few days ago), are you ready to join the ranks?

First off, I would like to call the judges out on their behavior: a classic example of criticizing before Ebina even had a chance to perform.  I could see the doubt in all their faces when he described his act as "dance-ish," and I'm so happy that he blew their minds with his performance!  That'll teach them to judge a book by its cover.

I still can't figure out how he did that head drop (it's been driving me crazy since I saw the video...anybody who has an idea, please leave a comment!), so it's safe to say that Ebina's performance really impressed me.  A dancer needs complete control over every minute muscle in his body to be able to perform the way Ebina does, and that level of control is astounding.  He imitates a robot so convincingly in the first section that he could have passed for an automaton.  My favorite section was the Matrix-style moves; they've always had a soft spot in my heart, even though I've never seen the movie.  Everyone can do that move to a greater or lesser degree, but I've not seen anyone do it like Ebina.  I would say that he well deserves all the views he got!

Spelbound

So are you "Spelbound?"  I certainly was.  This gymnastics group is unlike I've ever seen before in my entire life.  I can't even begin to imagine how much training these kids must do in order to do such amazing stunts.  What truly amazes me is that their artistry is always present, no matter how challenging the trick.

What you might be wondering, though, is why I would include a gymnastics routine on a blog about dance.  Anyone out there wonder that?  If the thought crossed your mind, I'm glad, because this does not seem like a logical post from the beginning.  Allow me to explain!

If you watch almost any video of competition dance, you'll see handstands, front walkovers, round-off back handsprings, and cartwheels.  While I wouldn't have thought of these moves as dance (they obviously belong to the gymnastics genre), they have increasingly integrated themselves with many forms.  And why not?  Dance and gymnastics connect well together and give a dancer a greater range of options when constructing a number.  Much of the athleticism required for dance is also required for gymnastics.  I've often wondered about dancers and gymnasts: that is, could a dancer (easily) become a gymnast and could a gymnast (easily) become a dancer?  My conclusion is that it's traditionally been easier for gymnasts to become dancers because gymnasts' already have all the obvious muscle while dancers usually have less-obvious muscle tone and different body types.  However, competition dance is blurring that distinction quite ferociously by the inclusion of gymnastics into dance routines.  Perhaps the two disciplines will merge in the future.

Riverdance

A few days ago, I wrote a post on Irish dance and now want to come back to the topic briefly because I neglected any discussion of Riverdance.  Riverdance is an internationally-acclaimed Irish dance group that is, to put it frankly, incredible.  I'm not sure how to put into words their skill, so I invite you to watch this video of their performance before I try to explain myself.

Pretty amazing, right?  I am impressed by how quickly and clearly their feet move in those shoes, which almost look like tap shoes (which I'd imagine to be decently heavy).  They also dance for quite a long time.  Can you imagine the amount of energy and stamina these dancers must have?  They show their strength admirably especially by not allowing their torso or upper body to move much at all: this performance is all about footwork, and they do not allow any stray movement to disrupt the magic of their feet.  They hold their composure until the very end of the performance and don't even breathe obviously at the end, which I find incredible.  The hardest part of any dance is the very end, when all the dancer wants to do is leave the stage to finally freely but must remain composed and effortless on stage while taking a bow.  

Above: breaking the world record for longest line on 7/21/2013

1,693 dancers from 44 countries danced continuously for five minutes to break the record

A different kind of Nutcracker

It's that time of year when Christmas music plays in every shop and restaurant and radio station.  If you listen carefully, a good deal of the quieter music is from Tchaikovsky's legend of a ballet, The Nutcracker.  Although I'd like to be able to give you a clear summary of the ballet, one simply does not exist.  Every company has it's own version with slightly different plot threads or names for the characters.

In this post, rather than give you the traditional ballet version, I think the animated Tom and Jerry version deserves some appreciation.  Tom and Jerry is the classic cartoon of a cat (Tom) trying to catch a much-wiser mouse (Jerry).  I grew up watching these cartoons, and I've always loved them.  Here's a clip of the movie, and, if you listen to the background music, it's "Dance of the Mirlitons" (or "Dance of the Reed Flutes" or the marzipan-shepherdess variation, depending on who you ask)!

Okay, so this isn't the ballet version of The Nutcracker, but it is the music, which is a huge part of the heart and soul of the performance.  The basis of the story is that Tom and Jerry stumble onto a theater's stage and are magically transported to a land of living toys, much as Clara is in the ballet.  Jerry falls in love with a toy ballerina, but Tom and his band of cats threaten to disrupt the peace of the toy kingdom.  After several mandatory misadventures accompanied by Tchaikovsky's music, Jerry and his ballerina manage to throw out the cats and enjoy peace together.  As the curtain is lowered down on the stage, Santa Claus and a real-life ballerina watch and applaud the adventure.

A bit different, but still a beautiful way to involve children in The Nutcracker story.  The cartoon incorporates so much of the ballet's score and intertwines the ballet's story with the kid-friendly cartoon seamlessly.  I think it's adorable!  

It's time...

I think it's time for a little Nutcracker, don't you?  Let's start off with the "snowflakes" dance.

Dynamic duo

Also known as Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev.  Powerful, expressive, and still seemingly-effortless dancing.  A friend of mine shared the Flames of Paris pas de deux with me last night, and that video basically writes this post for me.  I'd recommend watching before reading what I have to say!

...amazing, right?  I'm pretty sure I was gasping right along with the audience!  I can't get over how high they both (but especially Vasiliev) can jump; it practically seems like they're flying through the air.  Osipova is gorgeous as always in this (textbook lines, perfectly arched feet, innumerable turns en pointe), but I think Vasiliev is the one who really brings the fire and intensity to the dance.  His solo took my breath away.  Every time I thought he couldn't do something more spectacular, he added in another pirouette or rotation in his big jumps.  I'm sure there's speculation that he's the next Baryshnikov; I'd certainly rank him right up there with the best of the best.  He and Osipova complement each other excellently, and I think they made a phenomenal pair.

Here's a video of another of one their pas de deux; this one is from Le Corsaire.  Although I prefer the Flames of Paris pas, Vasiliev's jumps and Osipova's turns are incredible here as well.