A modern remake of the famous ballet “The Nutcracker” will be staged at the Hanoi Opera House in the capital city on December 5-6 to welcome the holiday season.

A performance of the famous ballet “The Nutcracker” in Vietnam in 2016

The Vietnamese version, “Nutcracker and Wonder Dream”, will be performed by artists from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB), featuring a combination of classic ballet and Vietnamese and international traditional dance. It is directed by choreographers Emeritus Artist Luu Thu Lan and Emeritus Artist Nguyen Hong Phong, and conducted by Dong Quang Vinh.

The ballet tells a story about a girl named Quynh Lan. Like many teenagers, she is curious and excited about new things, in search of her own true love. Falling asleep on Christmas Eve, she wakes up in a mysterious land where the nutcracker turns out to be a prince who leads her through an adventure full of surprises.

Emeritus Artist Tran Ly Ly, the ballet’s Artistic Director, said the ballet hopes to convey the message that the dream and desire for a good life is the same among all people, no matter who they are or where they are from, East or West.

Director of Choreography Emeritus Artist Luu Thu Lan said that classic ballet and traditional dance come together in a mixture of Eastern and Western cultures that will provide the audience with a new, exciting, and surprising experience.

The ballet “The Nutcracker” is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” with music by P.T. Tchaikovsky. 

Premiered at the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892, the ballet is one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous works. Although the original production was not a success, the 20-minute suite that Tchaikovsky extracted from the ballet was. 

The complete ballet has enjoyed enormous popularity since the late 1960s and is now performed primarily during the Christmas season worldwide, especially in Europe and North America. –VNA