A flurry of dancing snowflakes scatters across the stage as Clara (Meaghan Grace Hinkis) and Hans-Peter/the Nutcracker (Ricardo Cervera) take in the wonder of a white Christmas in an enchanted forest. Gary Avis plays Drosselmeyer, the toymaker. This is The Royal Ballet‘s 2012 production of the Waltz of the Snowflakes from The Nutcracker. Some history about this classic holiday ballet via The Royal Opera House:
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky‘s Nutcracker score was commissioned by the director of the Russian Imperial Theatres, following the resounding success of Sleeping Beauty in 1890. Marius Petipa created the scenario – based on a fairytale by E. T. A. Hoffman – and Lev Ivanov provided the choreography. The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. It initially had a poor reception, but its combination of enchanting choreography and an unforgettable score have since made it one of the best-loved of all ballets.
Below from 2017: The Royal Ballet’s Principal Dancer Lauren Cuthbertson performs the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:
Next, watch Ballet Swan Lake Fouetée: Nureyev and Fonteyn, Backstage Sleeping Beauty, Ballet Rotoscope, and Brown Ballerinas – Inside the Dance Theatre of Harlem.Bonus: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on a Glass Harp.
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