The DC Traveler

Chicago’s world-renowned ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, returns to Washington DC and the Kennedy Center with it’s classic production of the timeless Christmas classic story with music by Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker.
Combining the Victorian charm, old world scenery and dazzling costumes of battling soldiers, pesky mice, snow-flake ballerinas, holiday party-goers and costumed dancers from around the globe, it’s sure to put anyone in to the holiday spirit.
I would recommend this performance over the Washington Ballet’s production of the same.
The Joffrey Ballet: The Nutcracker  
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Opera House
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566 (map it)
Dates and …read more

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A young, innocent and beautiful peasant girl, falls in love with the handsome nobleman, she believes is just a peasant like her.
When she discovers his deceit and that he is betrothed to the daughter of the prince, she is driven mad and dies of a broken heart after her discovering the truth.
She later comes back to protect her former lover by helping him survive the evil spell cast on him by wicked ghosts.
The production of Giselle by the San Francisco ballet is complete with lavish sets and costumes, classic music and world-class dancers that set the standard for romantic …read more

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Since It’s Monday, and I typically write a Monument Monday, but here’s one that’s monument to the performing arts – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Next weekend, enjoy over 30 FREE music, dance and artistic performances at Washington, DC’s premiere center for the arts, The Kennedy Center and their annual Open House.
The range of entertainment of as varied as the number of performers.
Here’s just a sampling of the many free performances:

The Kennedy Center’s own Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Suzanne Ferrell  who was one of one of George Balanchine’s most celebrated ballerinas.
Washington’s own, National Symphony …read more

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Ballet Across America brings together nine of the nation’s top ballet companies for six days of ballet at The Kennedy Center.
Romantic pas de deux, modern dance by Twila Tharp, ballet to Spanish folk music, and the dancing of the first U.S. created ballet by George Balanchine using music by Tchaikovsky, illustrates the range of the diverse dance troupes.
Each performance includes a mixed repertory from three ballet companies from around the U.S., including Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, Salt Lake City’s Ballet West and DC’s own, The Washington Ballet.
The schedule includes:

June 10 & 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Ballet West–Serenade – Choreography by Balanchine …read more

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At the end of the month, The New York City Ballet will be performing some of their most loved and classic George Balanchine pieces at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
George Balanchine is considered one of the greatest choreographers in ballet history.  He first rose to ballet fame, as the choreographer for Ballet Russe and then moved to the the competing company, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Choreographing ballets for prima ballerinas such as Maria Tallcheif and Nathlie Krassovska, he created some the the world’s most famous ballets. He later formed a new ballet company, Ballet Society, which eventually became …read more

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For over 200 years, the world-class Kirov Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia have been delighting audiences with their classic renditions of notable ballets such as Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.  I’ve seen a couple of their performances over the years and they consistently impress audiences with their beautiful and technical renditions. 
The Kirov Ballet returns to the Kennedy Center in mid-January for seven performances of Romeo and Juliet.  Paired with a powerful musical score by Sergei Prokofiev, this story of innocent and tragic love has an interesting history.
The ballet Romeo and Juliet was based on William Shakespeare’s …read more

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In 1960, jazz master “Duke” Ellington and composer Billy Strayhorn (Take the A Train) worked on a jazzy, slightly campy, yet whimsical remake of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” ballet score. 
Momentum Dance Theater takes Ellington’s score and takes a twist on the classic Nutcracker ballet, with the Jazz, Hip-Hop Nutcracker.  They fast-forwarded the original story and dancing to 2006. The music combines both the reworked Ellington jazz, swing and blues Nutcracker score with current hip-hop and club music.  The dancing takes on other forms by combining jazz and hip-hop dance with breakdancers and Latin dances turing it into a high-energy, updated “urbal …read more

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The Nutcracker ballet that we know and love today with it’s Sugar-Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Snowflakes, has evolved and been adapted from the original classic Gernam story written in 1816, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. 
The Nutcracker Suite ballet is a story about a seven-year-old’s favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, which comes alive on Christmas night and takes her to a magical kingdom of dancing dolls and toys that come alive after the nutcracker kills the Mouse King.

In 1844, Alexandre Dumas (writer of among other works, The Count of Monte Cristo,) adapted the original story and it was …read more

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