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 Times – Thursday – Sunday, December 11-14, 2008.

Tickets – $47.00 – $150.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk.

To avoid the walk from the Metro station, ride the free Kennedy Center shuttle that runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday from 9:45 a.m.- Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- Midnight, and from Noon – Midnight on Sundays.

Parking - limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $17.00.

Images – Giselle, Russian production of Giselle, both – public domain ________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

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 ballets.

San Francisco Ballet’s Giselle
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Opera House
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566 (map it)

Dates and Times – November 25-30, 2008. The performances on the 25th and 36th include a mixed repertory.

Tickets – $29.00 – $99.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk.

There is also a free Kennedy Center shuttle that runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday from 9:45 a.m.- Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- Midnight, and from Noon – Midnight on Sundays.

Parking - limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $17.00.

Images – Giselle, Russian production of Giselle, both – public domain ________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

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 Orchestra
• Children’s Musical Album Grammy winners – Dan Zanes and Friends
• Dance under the stars outside on the patio with the Godfather of Go-Go – Chuck Brown
• Folk singer Lila Downs, will perform her Academy Award nominated song "Burn it Blue" form the film Frida.

And if you bring the children, take them to the hands-on NSO Instrument "Petting Zoo", where they can all learn all about the instruments of the symphony orchestra.

Plus, you can wander the center and enjoy it’s great architecture and stunning views of the Potomac River, Georgetown, the Watergate complex  and the National Mall.

Click here for the most updated schedule of performers and performances.

The Kennedy Center 24th Annual Open House
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566 (map it)

Date and Time – Saturday, September 13, 2008.  Noon – 11:00 p.m.

Tickets – FREE, no tickets required.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk.

Take Metro and use the free Kennedy Center shuttle on Saturday. It runs 10:00 a.m. – Midnight.

Parking - limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $15.00, but expect it to be full early.

 Images – from personal collection; ©2008, Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler

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 with music by Tchaikovsky
  Pennsylvania Ballet–In the Night by Robbins and Chopin
  Houston Ballet–Velocity by Welch and Torke

• June 12 at 7:30 p.m. & June 14 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.
  Pacific Northwest Ballet–Jardí Tancat by Duato and del Mar Bonet
  Kansas City Ballet–The Still Point by Bolender and Debussy
  The Washington Ballet–Nine Sinatra Songs by Twila Tharp and music from Sanatra and other artists  
• June 13 at 7:30 p.m. & June 15 at 1:30 p.m.
  Boston Ballet–Brake the Eyes  by Elo and Mozart
  The Joffrey Ballet–Lilac Garden by Tudor and Chausson
  Oregon Ballet Theatre–RUSH by Wheeldon and Martinu

Ballet Across America
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566 (map it)

Dates and Times – Tuesday – Sunday, June 10-15, 2008 – 9 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Tickets – $29.00 – $85.00 and are available online or by phone at 800-444-1324. 

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines. Walk the 3-blocks to the Kennedy Center.

Or ride the free Kennedy Center shuttle. It runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday from 9:45 a.m.- Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- Midnight, and from Noon – Midnight on Sundays.

Parking - Limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $16.00.

Images – Flickr – shoes, dancer in pink, Pas de deux,   

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Post from: The DC Traveler

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 The New York City Ballet.

Along with the Balanchine’s ballets, pieces from three other New York City Ballet choreographers, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon, are to be included in the program.

Two notable dances include Balanchine’s Agon, which is an abstract ballet for eight female and four male dancers.  The music, composed by Igor Stravinsky, suggests 17th century French court dances.

The second piece is another Blanchine classic, Serenade, that tells the story of dance lessons set to Tschaikovsky score. It’s a signature NYCB piece and the first original ballet Balanchine created in America, debuting in 1934. 

I’ve seen the New York City Ballet several times over the past 15 years and they always put on a fantastic performance.

New York City Ballet – Balanchine to Robbins
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566 (map it)

Date and Time – Thursday – Sunday Feb. 27 – March 2, 2008, 7:30 p.m., also Sat. and Sun at 1:30.

Tickets - $29.00 – $99.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines, then a 3-block walk.

From the Metro you can walk or take the free Kennedy Center shuttle that runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday from 9:45 a.m.- Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- Midnight, and from Noon – Midnight on Sundays.

Parking - limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $16.00.

Images – Courtesy of New York City Ballet – © Paul Kolnik 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

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 1597 tragedy which was actually adapted several times by other writers from a story/poem written over one hundred years earlier before Shakespeare penned his version.  It was composed by Prokofiev in 1935 for the Kirov Ballet, but with a happy ending. 

Yet the originally written ballet was never performed, due to fear that the storyline would potentially receive editorial criticism in Pravda, the “official” Soviet newspaper. Pravda had recently condemned any “degenerate modernist” music, art or dance and the Kirov was fearful of any bad publicity. It was not until 1938 that the revised ballet premiered and later underwent additional modification until 1940, when it was first danced at the Kirov Theater in St. Petersburg.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
Concert Hall
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566

Dates and Times – January 16–20 at 7:30 p.m., January 20 and 21 at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets - $47.00 – $125.00

Nearest Metro subway station – Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (23rd and I St.) – Blue and Orange lines – then a 3-block walk.

There is also a free Kennedy Center shuttle that runs every 15 minutes Monday – Friday from 9:45 a.m.- Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- Midnight, and from Noon – Midnight on Sundays.

Parking – Available at the Kennedy Center for $15.00.

Photo credits: Ballet photo courtesy of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
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Post from: The DC Traveler

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 ethnic” Nutcracker.

Rats and ninjas replace mice and soldiers, and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is swapped with the Sugar Rum Cherry. 

The lead characters are both a boy and a girl; one an over-active writer and the other a shy and withdrawn artist.  After getting their Christmas presents, a writer’s journal and a sketch book, the story and dancing springs from their imagination and leads them to discover their inner strengths through creativity.

Over 25 area children and teen dance students join the company’s professional dancers, acrobats and breakdancers in the performance.  Breakdancers will also incorporate capoeira, a Brazilian dance martial art. 

Momentum Dance Theatre
Jazz, Hip-Hip Nutcracker

Dates
December 7, 8 and 9
Prince Georges County Publick Playhouse
5445 Landover Road
Cheverly, MD 20784
301-277-1710 (Box Office)

December 15, 16 and 17
Stuart Hobson Middle School
410 E Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-672-0102 (Tickets)
Nearest Metro subway station – Union Station

Tickets
Adults $18.00 in advance ($2.00 more at the door), youth $12.00, kids $10.00

Check out my recent post on the Washington Ballet’s version of the Nutcracker.

Photo courtesy of Momentum Dance Theatre
 

Post from: The DC Traveler

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 later put to music by Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Russian Imperial Ballet balletmaster, Lev Ivanov, in 1892. 

Initially not a very commercially successful ballet after it’s Russian debute, Tchaikovsky considered it one of his less successful works. 

Over fifty years later, in 1944, the San Franscisco ballet, under Willam Christensen put on successful performance of The Nutcracker, but it wasn’t until 1954, under the lead of George Balanchine’s choreography that the New York City Ballet made it the holiday tradition that it is today in the U.S.

This year, the Washington Ballet has set The Nutcracker in Washington, DC, among cherry blossoms on the Potomac River with George Washington in the title role and King George III of England as the evil Rat King.

Last year, The Washington Ballet 41st annual performance of The Nutcracker was partially cancelled due to contact issues and a subsequent strike by it’s dancers. 

The Washington Ballet
The Warner Theater
1299 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC

Dates
December 7-23

Tickets
$29.00 – $85.00

Nearest Metro subway stop
Red, Orange and Blue lines, one block walk

Photo credits: photo 1 flickr, photo 2 flickr

Post from: The DC Traveler