Since my daughter has started dancing over 3 years ago, one holiday tradition that has taken over our family is The Nutcracker. This is the 3rd year she’s had the chance to perform in The Nutcracker with her dance studios, however this year marked a special occasion – right after she performed, we rushed off to see another performance at Segerstrom Center For the Arts.
Over the last 5 months we made the move to a new dance studio to see our beautiful ballerina blossom into an even better performer. A little timid at first, she wasn’t sure she was ready to try something new – however watching her tonight, we knew we made the right move.
The Nutcracker production was amazing! We watched our ballerina dance in her favorite holiday tradition as a sweet doll in the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Land of the Sweets. Her technique improved so much in only 6 months, even the grandparents were impressed with the difference with her pirouette as she landed on one knee as choreographed.
After the show, we celebrated our beautiful dancer with a quick dinner before heading off to Segerstrom Center for the Arts to catch the American Ballet Theater’s version of The Nutcracker.
If you’re not familiar with the story of The Nutcracker, it’s about a little girl, Clara, who receives a magical doll from her Uncle that comes to life in her dreams. The Nutcracker battles a Rat King and his mice friends, then Clara arrives in the land of sweets as the ballet continues with all the candies dancing around in celebration.
If you’re not familiar with the story of The Nutcracker, it’s about a little girl, Clara, who receives a magical doll that comes to life in her dreams. The Rat King and his mice friends try to steal the nutcracker and a battle ensues. Clara and the Nutcracker defeat the Rat King and are invited to the Land of the Sweets by the Sugar Plum Fairyas the ballet continues with all the candies dancing around in celebration.
Even with the super long day we had with my darling daughter’s performance, she was completely dazzled by the performers, especially Hee Seo who played Clara, The Princess and Marcelo Gomes The Nutcracker Prince. They were breathtaking.
My favorite numbers of the entire ballet were the dance of the snowflakes and the flowers – they were spectacular!
The engagement of The Nutcracker continues an on-going relationship between Segerstrom Center and American Ballet Theatre. The company has appeared at the Center 23 times, beginning in 1987.
You still have time to catch The Nutcracker as it is still at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. It’s a great holiday tradition for the entire family.
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE: THE NUTCRACKER
Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Segerstrom Hall
December 10 – 20, 2015
Tuesday – Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
www.scfta.org www.abt.org
Tickets – Start at $29; tickets go on sale September 13
In person – The Box Office
Phone – (714) 556-2787
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multidisciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.
