Nötknäpparen – klassisk julbalett med stråkkvartett

Nötknäpparen – klassisk julbalett med stråkkvartett A world-class performance by Etoile Production

The world-famous ballet Nutcracker, performed by Ukrainian ballet stars, will be a magical Christmas gift for the whole family!

A beautiful fairy tale full of exciting stories about the adventures of young Clara and the Nutcracker Prince was transformed by Pjotr Tjajkovskij in 1892 into the world's most popular classical ballet. Today, Nutcracker has become a global Christmas tradition, staged annually in theatres and opera houses around the world.

The universal language of dance is understood by every audience without translation – the stage will bring to life a coming-of-age story about children, revealing a young girl's fragile dream and the struggle between good and evil, in which love ultimately triumphs.

Dancing snowflakes, the Nutcracker Prince, toy soldiers and the Sugar Plum Fairy come to life in this magical family classic. Experience a fantastic adventure with a little girl, Clara, who falls asleep on Christmas Eve. She meets her prince, faces a battle against enormous mice and rats, and is taken to the lush Kingdom of Sweets. The story is much more than just a Christmas adventure. It is a tale of growing up, also reflected in the dancing.

Now it is time to immerse yourself in this magical world, forget your worries and stress, remember your childhood dreams and fill your soul with inspiration, warmth and new dreams.

The perfect ballet for children

The Nutcracker is an ideal first ballet for children to experience. If you are attending the ballet with a child, we recommend reading Hoffman's Nutcracker och Råttkungen together. You can also read the libretto at https://www.kulturforfolket.com/performance/the-nutcracker, where you will find descriptions of each ballet scene that can help you answer your child's questions. This ballet will also bring a sense of wonder and beauty to young and adult audience members alike, filling everyone with Christmas spirit!

Authentic classical ballet

This production of Marius Petipa's classical choreography is performed by Etoile Production – a company established in Kyiv by Irina and Anatoly Khandazhevsky, soloists from Ukraine's Kharkiv Opera och Baletteater. The performers include professional ballet dancers of the highest calibre – winners of international ballet competitions, Honoured Artists of Ukraine, and soloists from Ukrainian theatres and, since February 2022, European theatres.

The company uses authentic, handmade theatrical costumes and sets in its productions. The costumes are genuine professional ballet costumes, carefully designed not to restrict the dancers' movements and to allow them to fully demonstrate their skills on stage. A professional theatrical lighting designer accompanies the ballet performance, creating an unforgettable atmosphere during the show. There are no cheap trimmings or gaudy decorations – just genuine high culture in a professional theatrical performance.

The ballet is accompanied live by a string quartet, giving the performance an intimate and warm Christmas atmosphere. The quartet appears on stage as part of the production and plays during key scenes, creating a close connection between music and dance. The performance also uses a high-quality recording by Kharkiv Operaorkestern, combined with the live quartet to support the action on stage.

This is a unique opportunity to see authentic classical ballet at the highest level, performed by the world's ballet stars, with live music on stage.

The ballet soloists:

Irina Khandazhevskaya, prima ballerina, Honoured Artist of Ukraine, soloist at Kharkiv Opera och Baletteater, choreographer, diploma winner at the international ballet competition “Premio Roma”. Honorary award “People's Appreciation 2010” in the artist category. Awarded the “P. Virsky Prize” in the choreography category in 2007. @irinakhandazhevskaya Anatoly Khandazhevsky, soloist at Kharkiv Opera och Baletteater (Ukraine), choreographer, second-prize winner at an international competition in Tallinn. @anatoliikhandazhevskii Maria Shupilova, soloist at Kyiv Opera. @shupilova_maria Kristina Kadashevich, principal soloist at Kharkiv Opera och Baletteater, laureate of international ballet competitions.

Katerina Andrenko, soloist at Odessa National Opera, Hamburg Kammerballett, Opera Poznan. @andrenko_kate

Dmitry Lazovik, soloist at Vitrysslands statliga akademiska musikteater, laureate of international ballet competitions.

Vsevolod Maievskyi, soloist at Dutch National Ballet, former soloist with English National Ballet, Ukrainian-born former dancer at Mariinsky Ballet. @vsevolod_maievskyi Larisa Hrytsay, soloist at Kharkiv Opera och Baletteater (Ukraine), soloist at Odessa National Opera. @lorikeets89

Audience reviews:

Birgitta: A wonderful escape from everyday life! Beautiful costumes, skilful dancing, beautiful music – it all transported me to a dream world for a while.

Ami: Fantastic! Grand Pas de deux was so beautiful that I started to cry!

Ingrid: Incredibly beautiful dancing and music, and beautiful costumes!

The tour is presented by the Norwegian organisation Kultur for Folket, a company focused on delivering high-quality cultural events. More information about the ballet and the artists is available on the website https://www.kulturforfolket.com.

We support Ukrainian classical ballet and high-calibre Ukrainian artists who are unable to perform in their home country.

Organiser: Kultur for Folket

Running time: 2 hours including an interval

Age restriction: Recommended for ages 5 and over; everyone in the auditorium must have a ticket.