LITTLE ROCK — It snowed for a spell in central Arkansas on Sunday, even if it was just an early sprinkling of Christmas magic from the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker.
The treasured seasonal staple drew a sizable audience at Robinson Center Music Hall, and those in attendance no doubt went away enchanted by the tale of Masha (or Clara, as most know her), her Nutcracker-turned-Prince, and the colorful land of come-alive dolls, malevolent mice, delicate snowflakes and dances from around the globe.
The Nutcracker story, set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous score, opened on a party scene that featured 12 children from the central Arkansas area. The children’s cast featured 53 dancers from area studios performing alongside the Moscow Ballet.
The battle royale between the mouse army and toy soldiers was spectacular in its staging, but it was the dance of snowflakes that really sparkled in Act I. The tiny snowflakes, more local dancers, brought a heart-warming whimsy to the dance.
Act II takes place in the Land of Peace and Harmony, a departure from the traditional Land of Sweets, but no less enthralling with its succession of ethnic dances, each one featuring a pas de deux and more Arkansas dancers.
Always a crowd favorite, the Arabian dance showcased astonishing partnering feats that looked more out of Cirque du Soleil, drawing oohs and ahhs from the crowd. The dancers’ unbounded athleticism was on full display in the Russian, Chinese and Spanish numbers as well, with a succession of stunning tours en l’air and grand jetes en tournant.
The Great Russian Nutcracker will be performed tonight in Mountain Home.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 11/21/2011