A Beijing take on "The Nutcracker"

12-25-2010 14:51 BJT

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With a profusion of year-end performances across western nations, “The Nutcracker” is one of the sure signs of the Christmas season. This year, the holiday classic undergoes remarkable changes in the hands of Chinese choreographers.

And since Christmas is not celebrated by most Chinese, the ballet is timed to coincide with the Spring Festival for the first time in its century-long history.

Porcelain-clad ballerinas, dance of cranes, and a backdrop with glazed-tile roofs... this new adaptation of "The Nutcracker" is easy to tell apart.

Set in a typical Beijing Hutong, the story starts with a western antiquary giving a young girl a nutcracker as a New Year gift when he visits a local family on the eve of the Spring Festival.

It then follows the girl Yuan Yuan’s dream of a magical realm where the nutcracker and her toys spring to life, and into dance. The girl herself is even turned into a crane fairy.

Feng Ying, Director of National Ballet of China, said, "Instead of the Sugar Plum Kingdom, this Beijing girl dreams of an adventure into the Porcelain Kingdom. And her favorite items in the house such as fans, the silk drape, and even the cranes in the painting start dancing in her dreams. So this is a dream that only a Chinese girl could have."

With a profusion of year-end performances across western nations, “The Nutcracker” is one of the sure signs of the Christmas season. This year, the holiday classic undergoes remarkable changes in the hands of Chinese choreographers.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s entrancing music, the ballet “the Nutcracker”premiered in 1892 in St. Petersburg.

The fantasy-filled Children’s story later spawned different versions around the world, fitting into a diversity of cultures.

While enough doses of oriental ingredients distinguish this new retelling of the western ballet, no element is more Chinese than the addition of the ancient monster called “Nian”.

Zhao Ming, Director of “the Nutcracker”, said,“The legendary monster‘Nian’is closely associated with the origin of the Spring Festival. The fable has it that in ancient China people celebrated every lunar year after they scaring away the ferocious beast. Even today we are still following customs that serve to protect us. So in our play, the audience can gain some knowledge about the very roots of Chinese festival traditions.”