The Opera House continues to celebrate the holiday season, with the Cairo Opera Ballet performing Russian author Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece world-class ballet “The Nutcracker“, in five performances throughout the week.
Starting at eight pm, the show runs from Tuesday to Saturday at the Main Hall.
Directed by Armenia Kamel, the ballet is accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra, led by Maestro Nader Abbasy, choreographed by Ivanov-Vayunin, and Abdel-Moneim Kamel, with decorations by Solodovnikov and Mohamed al-Gharbawy, and lighting and graphics work done by Yasser Shaalan and Mohamed Abdel-Razzaq.
The Nutcracker ballet is associated with Christmas and the New Year because of its enchanting atmosphere, and is a tale of how love can transform people’s destinies.
Through dazzling artistry and optical illusions, the ballet tells the story of a little girl named Clara on Christmas Eve who is gifted a Nutcracker doll which she immediately cherishes.
Unfortunately her brother breaks the doll, leaving Clara heartbroken. Upon falling asleep, she has a dream where the Nutcracker comes to life and transforms into a handsome young prince, sending her on a series of fantastical adventures.
The ballet was written by Tchaikovsky in 1891, inspired by a story from French writer Alexandre Dumas who in turn borrowed it from Ernst Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and Mouse King”.
It officially debuted on 1892 at the Imperial Opera House in Saint Petersburg.
The ballet is considered one of the most important classical performances for the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, who presented it for the first time at the Grand Theater in 1993.
Since then, it has has been presented every December to celebrate the New Year, with the same costumes and music honoring its timeless atmosphere.
