In 1892, a fairytale ballet adapted from an E.T.A. Hoffmann story and set to composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s music came to life on a Moscow theater’s stage. Forty-eight years later, The Nutcracker would make its way to western audiences, proving to be a holiday staple for decades to come. Now, Saratoga City Ballet (SCB) hopes to bring new life—and audiences, of course—to the classic two-act ballet with its 25th anniversary production.
On December 21 and 22, SCB will be staging its classic version of The Nutcracker at Albany’s The Egg, led by Artistic Director Beth Fecteau and featuring professional dancers from the Nacre Dance Company, alongside SCB dancers. Fecteau has a special history with the ballet, first premiering her own choreography for the production in 1996 at the historic Cohoes Music Hall. After a successful debut, Fecteau’s production was performed for ten years at famed The Egg, where the 25th-anniversary production will take place.
“From the costumes to the sleigh and the actual nutcracker used for the show, each piece of scenery, each costume, has a story,” says Traci Jersen, President Of The Board at SCB. “Any dancer will tell you that Nutcracker season is the best of all. Altogether, the Nutcracker magic permeates every corner of our [Route 50] studio.” And while the ballet is staying true to form in some ways, it’s thinking outside the box in others. The production will feature digitized backdrops of original artwork by local artists.
SCB’s production takes place at 7:30pm on the 21st (buy tickets here) and 2:00pm (here) and 7:30pm (here) on the 22nd, at The Egg’s Hart Theater. Tickets cost $28 for adults, $20 for students and senior citizens, and children under the age of five get in for free.
