Earlier in the blog, Praveena posted about the Nutcracker ballet, which is performed every year and is looked upon as a holiday staple. The Urban Ballet Theater is also performing a version of this traditional ballet, called “Nutcracker in the Lower,” and it has a few distinct differences from the original ballet.
“Nutcracker in the Lower” takes Clara’s story of magic and adventure and twists it to reflect Manhattan’s cultural diversity. The grand ball in the original production is transformed into a holiday salsa fiesta, and the battle scene has a feel of a subway station, with rats running around the action.
What I find most interesting is that the music of the ballet is highly reflective of the melting pot that is New York City. Tchaikovsky’s original score is still used, but there are baselines of hip hop added to it, along with a hint of cant Flamenco. This combination of different cultural musical styles illustrates cultural diversity of NYC.
I think this show is very interesting and original. By adding different cultural aspects to the performance, the ballet can reach a larger audience, even those people who never had any interest in seeing the original Nutcracker ballet.
“Nutcracker in the Lower” will be performed by the Urban Ballet Theater now until December 5th.
Looks like a very creative re-interpretation of the classic story. there is also Mark Morris’s “The Hard Nut” and there is also a new interpretation based on costumes and sets by Maurice Sendak (who wrote “Where the Wild Things Are,” which is not only a book and a movie, it has also been made into on Opera!)
Here is a sample of Mark Morris (despite the identical costumes, this is a troupe of men and women.
Here is small sample of the Maurice Sendak: