These nontraditional holiday traditions may not be universally popular, but what is striking is how much these events have in common with standards like "Nutcracker".
The "Great Russian" version (often pretty touristy and laden with kitsch, even by "Nutcracker" standards) has a knockout male dancer in the Arabian divertissement, Sergey Chumakov.
The company could not meet its payroll or absorb $300,000 in expenses to continue operations until ticket proceeds started flowing in from performances of "The Nutcracker," a reliable standard that produced half of the company's annual revenue.
It's time for George Balanchine's standard-setting production of "The Nutcracker," performed by the New York City Ballet tonight through December.
The winter season opens with a gala on Nov. 25, then moves into Balanchine's standard-setting production of "The Nutcracker," a ballet in which he danced as a young student at the Maryinsky Theater.
The last three of his six symphonies, as well as the concertos for violin and for piano, the 1812 and "Romeo and Juliet" Overtures, and ballet scores -- "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker" -- are beloved standards that turn up even on pops programs.
It is the season for George Balanchine's standard-setting traditional production of "The Nutcracker," performed by the New York City Ballet through December.
Then it's on to the annual "Nutcracker" marathon - groans aside, George Balanchine's production remains a standard-setter -- from Nov. 29 to Jan . 5
Like a few other "Nutcrackers" I have seen around the United States, this one has a bad tendency for the same standard turns and jumps to pop up in one dance after another.
STAMFORD Stamford Center for the Arts "The Nutcracker," Connecticut Ballet.
