by Harlow Essex

You know the holiday season is upon us when the annual production of the Nutcracker hits every major city in the world. Aside from the classical interpretation performed by ballet companies like ABT and the Bolshoi Ballet, there are a few other versions being produced all over the world. For those who haven’t discovered or do not have the channel Ovation TV, I welcome you and encourage you to visit their website, Ovationtv.com. Every year around this time, they put on a “Battle of the Nutcrackers“, which showcases several versions of the holiday classic.

The usual favorites highlighted on the network are George Balanchine’s Nutcracker (a most beautiful yet classic tale), Mark Morris’ The Hard Nut (a slight parody and more contemporary version of the original ballet (no ballet shoes)), Maurice Bejart’s Nutcracker, (still balletic but varied choreography with obvious French style/influence), The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker (quite classical and but stylized differently than Balanchine’ classic), and the newest addition Casse Noisette Circus, Ballet of Monte Carlo. Exciting and fresh, the Case Noisette Circus brings flight and originality to the ballet, incorporating trapeze, oversized props, modern dance influence, along with classical ballet technique. The stage is round like in a circus setting and the performers are highly characterized and vibrant.

If you haven’t seen the classic production or you are ready to see another version, I highly recommend to check out http://www.ovationtv.com/Events/battleofthenutcrackers/ to vote or watch the videos. Happy Holidays!

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