Come See The Nutcracker Tomorrow

A good 4 hours of my day was spent rehearsing in the pit for the Nutcracker Ballet (Come to the Ford Community Performing arts center in Dearborn on 12/2 at 7, 12/3 at 1, or 12/3 at 7 to see the ballet!) . Being a christmas tradition in the united states, I delved deeper to find out why the Nutcracker has the become the christmas staple it is. At its premier, the Nutcracker as a ballet recieved rather poor reviews, and didnt recieve widespread acclaim until 1954, when George Blanchines staging premiered in New York. Prior to this, the concert suite was widely popular. However, this differs though from the full Ballet as it only includes a select few dances from the second act. These of course, are the most popular tunes that people associate with the Nutcracker. Pieces like "The waltz of the flower", and "Trepak" are some of the most widely renown works, not only during the holiday season, but for classical music as a whole. As to why audience members enjoy these tunes so much, one could look at the concert suite being composed of mainly waltzes. This correlates with a more lively and engaging experience for many people. The first act, mostly composed of eastern european dances in odd time signatures may not be the most enjoyable to the average listner. Also the length of the first act may be rather tiring to the listener, as it is considerably longer than the second act. The Nutcracker ballet's setting is based around the christmas holiday, and thus is likely as to why performances revolve around the christmas season. But its popularity has to do with nothing except the pure writing genius of Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky.