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59-731: The company performs the Nutcracker annually. Orlando Ballet's mission statement is "Orlando Ballet entertains, educates, and enriches through the highest quality of dance." The company was founded in 1974 as the Performing Arts Company of Florida. They changed their name in 1978 to the Southern Ballet Theatre, and began performances at the Bob Carr Theatre . Since 2021, the company has been led by Artistic Director Jorden Morris. The company

118-437: A class specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing participants. For more than 35 years, the city of Orlando has hosted Neon Club. Orlando Ballet is proud to continue the tradition. Participants and their families, friends, and/or caregivers are welcome to join each month for an evening of dancing, socializing, food, and fun. The event is held each month on the first Friday of the month and has different themes. Thanks to

177-513: A positive experience. Current programming primarily serves children between the ages of 3–9, with expansion to a wider range of ages coming soon. Under the Come Dance With Us! umbrella are two distinct programs:   Information about registering your child for an upcoming session of Come Dance With Us!: Movement Mentor© is available now. Orlando Ballet Community Enrichment is currently piloting Come Dance With Us!: Heart of Hearing,

236-562: A regular basis. They present new and classical works to underprivileged youth and senior citizens and perform for over 50,000 people every year at schools, local festivals, nursing homes, and premiere Orlando theaters. OBII is the top level of the Orlando Ballet School and serves to help pre-professional dancers work their way into the professional world from their trainee program. OBS's Summer Intensive Programs are for intermediate to advanced students ages 9+. The programs place

295-479: A set of dance-themed picture books to use in their classroom, and each class receives a visit from Orlando Ballet dancers as part of their participation. First STEPS reaches approximately 800 VPK and Kindergarten students annually. Targeting economically marginalized communities and modeled after a program developed by New York's Dance Theatre of Harlem, STEPS provides 2nd-5th graders in Central Florida with

354-722: A showcase for their families and friends at the end of the residency. Approximately 200 students participate in REACH annually. One of Community Enrichment's newest programs, RISE invites middle and high schools with existing Performing Arts Dance Magnet Programs to partner with Orlando Ballet to elevate their student experience to the next level. Students receive an additional thirty hours of training from our teaching artists with emphasis on technique and choreography, all centered around preparation for entering professional careers in dance. As part of their experience, students are invited to observe professional company rehearsals at Orlando Ballet. At

413-554: A standing position, while Gentle BeMoved is primarily conducted from a seated position. Each class includes a warm-up, a themed genre portion of dance combinations accessible for all participants regardless of previous experience in dance, and a cool down.   Orlando Ballet had a highly publicized contract dispute with the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts , along with Orlando Philharmonic and Opera Orlando regarding

472-540: A string of beautiful flowers perform a waltz. To conclude the night, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier perform a dance. A final waltz is performed by all the sweets, after which the Sugar Plum Fairy ushers Clara and the Prince down from their throne. He bows to her, she kisses Clara goodbye, and leads them to a reindeer-drawn sleigh. It takes off as they wave goodbye to all the subjects who wave back. In

531-892: A strong emphasis on technique for ballet while also incorporating other forms of dance such as jazz, men's, partnering, modern, pointe, variations, and character performance. The length of these summer intensives depends on the program, lasting anywhere between one and five weeks long. OBS provides housing for Summer Intensive for all students who require it. Orlando Ballet offers a robust Community Enrichment program, offering complimentary dance classes throughout Central Florida. Current programming reaches more than 18,000 participants annually. Through First STEPS, Orlando Ballet teaching artists partner with regular classroom teachers to integrate creative movement into regular classroom instruction. This ten-week residency includes arts-integrated techniques that help students in other subject areas like literacy, language, and math. Participating teachers receive

590-439: A valuable partnership with Orange County Public Schools, approximately 16,000 second-grade students throughout Orange County are given the opportunity to experience a live performance of The Nutcracker, presented by Orlando Ballet. As part of this partnership, Community Enrichment provides teachers with a study guide with materials designed to enrich and enhance the experience of students at the performance. Created in connection with

649-465: Is her doll's name. In the adaptation by Dumas on which Petipa based his libretto, her name is Marie Silberhaus. In still other productions, such as Balanchine's, Clara is Marie Stahlbaum rather than Clara Silberhaus. Scene 1: The Stahlbaum Home In Nuremberg, Germany on Christmas Eve in the 1820s, a family and their friends gather in the parlor to decorate the Christmas tree in preparation for

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708-400: Is transformed into a human prince. He leads Clara through the moonlit night to a pine forest in which the snowflakes dance around them, beckoning them on to his kingdom as the first act ends. The Land of Sweets Clara and the Prince travel to the beautiful Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Prince's place until his return. He recounts for her how he had been saved from

767-567: Is written for an orchestra with the following instrumentation. Woodwinds Brass Percussion Keyboard Voice Strings Titles of all of the numbers listed here come from Marius Petipa's original scenario as well as the original libretto and programs of the first production of 1892. All libretti and programs of works performed on the stages of the Imperial Theatres were titled in French, which

826-566: The Christmas season . ) Tchaikovsky is said to have argued with a friend who wagered that the composer could not write a melody based on a one-octave scale in sequence. Tchaikovsky asked if it mattered whether the notes were in ascending or descending order and was assured it did not. This resulted in the Adagio from the Grand pas de deux , which, in the ballet, nearly always immediately follows

885-653: The Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Although the libretto was by Marius Petipa , who exactly choreographed the first production has been debated. Petipa began work on the choreography in August 1892; however, illness removed him from its completion and his assistant of seven years, Lev Ivanov , was brought in. Although Ivanov is often credited as the choreographer, some contemporary accounts credit Petipa. The performance

944-644: The Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet . In recent years, revisionist productions, including those by Mark Morris , Matthew Bourne , and Mikhail Chemiakin have appeared; these depart radically from both the original 1892 libretto and Vainonen's revival, while Maurice Béjart 's version completely discards the original plot and characters. In addition to annual live stagings of the work, many productions have also been televised or released on home video. The following extrapolation of

1003-531: The "Waltz of the Flowers". A story is also told that Tchaikovsky's sister Alexandra (9 January 1842 — 9 April 1891 ) had died shortly before he began composition of the ballet and that his sister's death influenced him to compose a melancholy, descending scale melody for the adagio of the Grand Pas de Deux. However, it is more naturally perceived as a dreams-come-true theme because of another celebrated scale use,

1062-440: The 2021–2022 school year, RISE participants have gone on to incredible achievements. Students have accepted or been offered opportunities to pursue the next stages of their dance careers with the following: Professional Contracts:   Summer Intensives:   Higher Education:   Competitive Dance:   In total, RISE participants have received more than $ 1,000,000 in scholarship offers. Come Dance With Us! unites

1121-671: The Alfred I. duPont Institute, a pediatric orthopedic hospital, opened on the grounds of the Nemours Estate in Wilmington, Delaware . Edward Ball, Jessie Ball duPont's younger brother, also played a significant role in managing the assets of Alfred I. duPont's estate and the Nemours Foundation . After his death in 1981, a substantial portion of his wealth was bequeathed to the foundation, significantly contributing to

1180-657: The Bridge Scholarship program, distributed based on demonstrated financial need to dedicated and capable dancers.) STEPS programming reaches approximately 800 2nd-5th graders annually. Modeled after the STEPS program, REACH provides students from 6th-12th grade in economically disadvantaged schools the opportunity to receive professional dance training. Over this nine-week-long residency, students receive nearly thirty hours of training in ballet and other forms of dance. Participants receive complimentary dancewear and present

1239-511: The Christensen-founded Ballet West . The New York City Ballet gave its first annual performance of George Balanchine 's reworked staging of The Nutcracker in 1954. The performance of Maria Tallchief in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy helped elevate the work from obscurity into an annual Christmas classic and the industry's most reliable box-office draw. Critic Walter Terry remarked that "Maria Tallchief, as

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1298-599: The Fitness Thru Dance program offered for teens and adults who are interested in fun and innovative ways to stay fit. They are an affiliate of the American Ballet Theatre . All OBII dancers are selected through an audition process by the artistic director and the OBS (Orlando Ballet School) Director. Performing in both company and school dances, these dancers train and rehearse with the company on

1357-619: The Mouse King ", by Alexandre Dumas called "The Story of a Nutcracker". The plot of Hoffmann's story (and Dumas' adaptation) was greatly simplified for the two-act ballet. Hoffmann's tale contains a long flashback story within its main plot titled "The Tale of the Hard Nut", which explains how the Prince was turned into the Nutcracker. This had to be excised for the ballet. Petipa gave Tchaikovsky extremely detailed instructions for

1416-485: The Mouse King by Clara and transformed back into himself. In honor of the young heroine, a celebration of sweets from around the world is produced: chocolate from Spain, coffee from Arabia, tea from China, and candy canes from Russia all dance for their amusement; Marzipan shepherdesses perform on their flutes; Mother Ginger has her children, the Polichinelles , emerge from under her enormous hoop skirt to dance;

1475-537: The Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jocelyn Vollmar as the Snow Queen. After the enormous success of this production, San Francisco Ballet has presented Nutcracker every Christmas Eve and throughout the winter season, debuting new productions in 1944, 1954, 1967, and 2004. The original Christensen version continues in Salt Lake City , where Christensen relocated in 1948. It has been performed every year since 1963 by

1534-527: The Sugar Plum Fairy, is herself a creature of magic, dancing the seemingly impossible with effortless beauty of movement, electrifying us with her brilliance, enchanting us with her radiance of being. Does she have any equals anywhere, inside or outside of fairyland? While watching her in The Nutcracker, one is tempted to doubt it." Since Gorsky, Vainonen and Balanchine's productions, many other choreographers have made their own versions. Some institute

1593-536: The ascending one in the Barcarolle from The Seasons . Tchaikovsky was less satisfied with The Nutcracker than with The Sleeping Beauty . (In the film Fantasia , commentator Deems Taylor observes that he "really detested" the score.) Tchaikovsky accepted the commission from Vsevolozhsky but did not particularly want to write the ballet (though he did write to a friend while composing it, "I am daily becoming more and more attuned to my task"). The music

1652-544: The ballerina did not dance until the Grand Pas de Deux near the end of the second act (which did not occur until nearly midnight during the program). Some found the transition between the mundane world of the first scene and the fantasy world of the second act too abrupt. Reception was better for Tchaikovsky's score. Some critics called it "astonishingly rich in detailed inspiration" and "from beginning to end, beautiful, melodious, original, and characteristic". But this also

1711-622: The ballet have been staged there since 1952. Another abridged version of the ballet, performed by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo , was staged in New York City in 1940, Alexandra Fedorova – again, after Petipa's version. The ballet's first complete United States performance was on 24 December 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet , staged by its artistic director, Willam Christensen , and starring Gisella Caccialanza as

1770-417: The ballet. Its score has been used in several film adaptations of Hoffmann's story. Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions. Among other things, the score is noted for its use of the celesta , an instrument the composer had already employed in his much lesser known symphonic ballad The Voyevoda (1891). After the success of The Sleeping Beauty in 1890, Ivan Vsevolozhsky ,

1829-516: The changes made by Gorsky and Vainonen while others, like Balanchine, utilize the original libretto. Some notable productions include Rudolf Nureyev 's 1963 production for the Royal Ballet , Yury Grigorovich for the Bolshoi Ballet , Mikhail Baryshnikov for the American Ballet Theatre , Fernand Nault for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens starting in 1964, Kent Stowell for Pacific Northwest Ballet starting in 1983, and Peter Wright for

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1888-405: The characters (in order of appearance) is drawn from an examination of the stage directions in the score. Below is a synopsis based on the original 1892 libretto by Marius Petipa. The story varies from production to production, though most follow the basic outline. The names of the characters also vary. In the original Hoffmann story, the young heroine is called Marie Stahlbaum and Clara (Klärchen)

1947-460: The choreography of the battle scene as confusing: "One can not understand anything. Disorderly pushing about from corner to corner and running backwards and forwards – quite amateurish." The libretto was criticized as "lopsided" and for not being faithful to the Hoffmann tale. Much of the criticism focused on the featuring of children so prominently in the ballet, and many bemoaned the fact that

2006-483: The complete and staged The Nutcracker ballet was not initially as successful as the 20-minute Nutcracker Suite that Tchaikovsky had premiered nine months earlier, it became popular in later years. Since the late 1960s, The Nutcracker has been danced by many ballet companies, especially in North America. Major American ballet companies generate around 40% of their annual ticket revenues from performances of

2065-616: The composition of each number, down to the tempo and number of bars. The completion of the work was interrupted for a short time when Tchaikovsky visited the United States for twenty-five days to conduct concerts for the opening of Carnegie Hall . Tchaikovsky composed parts of The Nutcracker in Rouen , France. The first performance of the ballet was held as a double premiere together with Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta , on 18 December [ O.S. 6 December] 1892, at

2124-648: The concert stage, and was excerpted in Disney 's Fantasia , omitting the two movements prior to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The outline below represents the selection and sequence of the Nutcracker Suite made by the composer: The Paraphrase on Tchaikovsky's Flower Waltz is a successful piano arrangement from one of the movements from The Nutcracker by the pianist and composer Percy Grainger . The pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev adapted some of

2183-494: The conclusion of their residencies, students come to Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre in an event that includes a full day of workshops followed by a showcase of their work for the community. Students are also extended invitations to continue their training with Orlando Ballet and receive valuable exposure to other arts professionals throughout the United States. Approximately 200 dancers participate in RISE annually. Since beginning in

2242-415: The delight of all. He then has them put away for safekeeping. Clara and her brother Fritz are sad to see the dolls being taken away, but Drosselmeyer has yet another toy for them: a wooden nutcracker doll , which the other children ignore. Clara immediately takes a liking to it, but Fritz accidentally breaks it. Clara is heartbroken, but Drosselmeyer fixes the nutcracker, much to everyone's relief. During

2301-406: The director of the Imperial Theatres, commissioned Tchaikovsky to compose a double-bill program featuring both an opera and a ballet. The opera would be Iolanta . For the ballet, Tchaikovsky would again join forces with Marius Petipa, with whom he had collaborated on The Sleeping Beauty. The material Vsevolozhsky chose was an adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann 's story " The Nutcracker and

2360-447: The efforts of Orlando Ballet teaching artists and medical experts to provide adapted dance classes for dancers with disabilities in Central Florida. Integral to the success of Come Dance With Us! is the partnership shared with both Nemours Children's Health Systems Florida and Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children who provide both aids in the classroom and valuable insight to our teaching artists on how to give each participant

2419-590: The expansion of Nemours' services, particularly in Florida . During the early 2000s, Nemours expanded its program of clinical care, education, research, and postgraduate training to address population health, disparities in care, and the social determinants of children's health. The organization partners with leading academic institutions to offer comprehensive medical education programs. In 2017, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida established its own Nemours Children's Hospital Residency Program and, in partnership with

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2478-415: The foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination. The plot is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 short story The Nutcracker , itself a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann 's 1816 short story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King . The ballet's first choreographer was Marius Petipa , with whom Tchaikovsky had worked three years earlier on The Sleeping Beauty , assisted by Lev Ivanov . Although

2537-409: The mice, led by their king. The nutcracker appears to lead the gingerbread men, who are joined by tin soldiers, and by dolls who serve as doctors to carry away the wounded. As the seven-headed Mouse King advances on the still-wounded nutcracker, Clara throws her slipper at him, distracting him long enough for the nutcracker to stab him. Scene 2: A Pine Forest The mice retreat and the nutcracker

2596-566: The music into a virtuosic concert suite for piano solo: Nemours Children%27s Health Nemours Children's Health is a pediatric healthcare system in the United States that provides extensive medical services, research, and education for children and families. Nemours has major facilities in Delaware and Florida , including Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware , and Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida , as well as more than 70 specialty, primary, and urgent care locations. Nemours

2655-440: The night, after everyone else has gone to bed, Clara returns to the parlor to check on the nutcracker. As she reaches the small bed, the clock strikes midnight and she looks up to see Drosselmeyer perched atop it. Suddenly, mice begin to fill the room and the Christmas tree begins to grow to dizzying heights. The nutcracker also grows to life size. Clara finds herself in the midst of a battle between an army of gingerbread soldiers and

2714-509: The opportunity to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of dance as an art form. Classes are held in schools and community centers throughout Central Florida. Participants receive training in ballet as well as other dance styles from professional teaching artists over a thirteen-week residency that culminates in a final showcase for family and friends. Students receive dancewear as part of their class. Students are also assessed for possible scholarships to attend further training at Orlando Ballet (through

2773-626: The original libretto, the ballet's apotheosis "represents a large beehive with flying bees, closely guarding their riches". Just like Swan Lake , there have been various alternative endings created in productions subsequent to the original. The Nutcracker is one of the composer's most popular compositions. The music belongs to the Romantic period and contains some of his most memorable melodies, several of which are frequently used in television and film. (They are often heard in TV commercials shown during

2832-410: The party. Once the tree is finished, the children are summoned. When the party begins, presents are given out to the children. When the owl-topped grandfather clock strikes eight, a mysterious figure enters the room. It is Drosselmeyer— a councilman, magician, and Clara's godfather. He is also a talented toymaker who has brought with him gifts for the children, including four lifelike dolls who dance to

2891-459: The performing arts center's new Steinmetz Hall. A deal was eventually reached. The Nutcracker The Nutcracker ( Russian : Щелкунчик , romanized :  Shchelkunchik , pronounced [ɕːɪɫˈkunʲt͡ɕɪk] ), Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a ballet-féerie ; Russian: балет-феерия , romanized:  balet-feyeriya ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , set on Christmas Eve at

2950-568: The piano reduction score by Sergei Taneyev (1892), both published by P. Jurgenson in Moscow, and the Soviet collected edition of the composer's works, as reprinted Melville, New York: Belwin Mills [n.d.] Tchaikovsky made a selection of eight of the numbers from the ballet before the ballet's December 1892 première, forming The Nutcracker Suite , Op. 71a, intended for concert performance. The suite

3009-488: The state standards of education, this study guide includes five arts-integrated lesson plans that prepare students for their experience at the ballet. Developed by Sherry Zunker, BeMoved and Gentle BeMoved are specifically intended for participants with limited mobility due to age, health, or injury. Each class includes themed music (such as the Roaring 20s, Latin, Country Rhythm, and Blues). BeMoved classes are conducted from

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3068-668: Was conducted by Italian composer Riccardo Drigo , with Antonietta Dell'Era as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Pavel Gerdt as Prince Coqueluche, Stanislava Belinskaya as Clara, Sergei Legat as the Nutcracker-Prince, and Timofey Stukolkin as Drosselmeyer. Unlike in many later productions, the children's roles were performed by real children – students of the Imperial Ballet School in Saint Petersburg , with Belinskaya as Clara, and Vassily Stukolkin as Fritz – rather than adults. The first performance of The Nutcracker

3127-669: Was first performed outside Russia in Budapest (Royal Opera House) in 1927, with choreography by Ede Brada. In 1934, choreographer Vasili Vainonen staged a version of the work that addressed many of the criticisms of the original 1892 production by casting adult dancers in the roles of Clara and the Prince, as Gorsky had. The Vainonen version influenced several later productions. The first complete performance outside Russia took place in England in 1934, staged by Nicholas Sergeyev after Petipa's original choreography. Annual performances of

3186-603: Was first performed, under the composer's direction, on 19 March 1892 at an assembly of the Saint Petersburg branch of the Musical Society. The suite became instantly popular, with almost every number encored at its premiere, while the complete ballet did not begin to achieve its great popularity until after the George Balanchine staging became a hit in New York City. The suite became very popular on

3245-570: Was founded in 1936 by the Nemours Foundation . Alfred I. duPont was a key figure in establishing Nemours Children's Health. After a career in the family's gunpowder business, duPont turned his focus to charitable work. Upon his death in 1935, the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust was established. A year later, his widow Jessie Ball duPont, along with the other trustees, incorporated The Nemours Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida . In 1940,

3304-475: Was not deemed a success. The reaction to the dancers themselves was ambivalent. Although some critics praised Dell'Era on her pointework as the Sugar Plum Fairy (she allegedly received five curtain-calls), one critic called her "corpulent" and "podgy". Olga Preobrajenskaya as the Columbine doll was panned by one critic as "completely insipid" and praised as "charming" by another. Alexandre Benois described

3363-530: Was not unanimous, as some critics found the party scene "ponderous" and the Grand Pas de Deux "insipid". In 1919, choreographer Alexander Gorsky staged a production which eliminated the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier and gave their dances to Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, who were played by adults instead of children. This was the first production to do so. An abridged version of the ballet

3422-580: Was previously led by Robert Hill from 2009 to 2021. Jorden Morris—Orlando Ballet Artistic Director Lisa Thorn Vinzant—Associate Artistic Director Heath Gill—Rehearsal Director Yan Chen—Guest Teacher Orlando Ballet is also known for their training program, the Orlando Ballet School. As part of their trainee programs the Orlando Ballet School is home to OBII (Orlando Ballet Second Company). There are annual summer intensives, as well as camps and year-round classes. These classes include camps and variation expos for children and pre-professional dancers as well as

3481-487: Was the official language of the Imperial Court, as well as the language from which balletic terminology is derived. Casse-Noisette . Ballet-féerie in two acts and three tableaux with apotheosis. Act I Act II List of acts, scenes (tableaux) and musical numbers, along with tempo indications . Numbers are given according to the original Russian and French titles of the first edition score (1892),

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