The Art Deco Nutcracker Review

Disclaimer: The Fandads were invited to the opening night of The Art Deco Nutcracker. All thoughts, opinions, and fascination are our own. 

Since I was a kid I have been familiar with the music from The Nutcracker. Be it through cartoons, television shows, or even commercials, I have heard the music of the beloved ballet. One thing that I have never done though is watch the actual The Nutcracker.  Luckily, my daughter and I got to experience The Nutcracker together in the form of the Art Deco Nutcracker and we both enjoyed it.

When it comes to ballet, my family is not new to it. My daughter took ballet for a few years and we have been to a few of her recitals. I was always amazed at the grace and poise of the older classes as they performed on stage and loved the cuteness of the beginner classes trying not to focus on their parents in the audience or just stand shy on the stage.

My daughter and I did not know what to expect upon seeing this performance. She asked me the usual questions that children ask their parents when they go out somewhere: "How long is this show?", "Have you seen this before?", and "When can we see this again?" Yep, after the performance, my daughter was already asking to see the show again. 

As I stated before, I have never seen The Nutcracker and I was completely taken in by the costumes, the music, and the dancing. My daughter and I kept marveling at the dancers who would not miss a step when a snowball was in their path or when a hat came off during mid-dance. My daughter mentioned afterward that seeing the dancers continue when things went wrong reminded her of what her current dance teacher tells her class, "Keep going and don't stop if something goes wrong."

About the show:

Set in 1920s America, Kremnev's “The ArtDeco Nutcracker,” featuring Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, is a fresh, yet traditional take on the beloved holiday favorite. The Chicago Tribune has described it as “A glossy rendition filled with gorgeous, glitzy costumes” and The Cincinnati Enquire writes that Kremnev has “brought dance to a whole new level.”

Photo by Don Swinson

The Art Deco Nutcracker is only playing for a short time so catch it while you can.

“The Art Deco Nutcracker” is Kremnev'seighth full-length ballet. His work has been presented at the world-renowned Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Lincoln Center in New York, and the Opernhaus Zurich in Switzerland, among other prestigious venues across the globe. The Huffington Post describes his choreography as “encompassing the best and brilliance of what movement can be while breaking boundaries of what we know.” The production will run Friday, November 30 at 7p.m., Saturday, December 1 at 2p.m. & 7p.m. Sunday, December 2 at 1p.m. & 4:30p.m. Tickets for Kremnev's “The Art Deco Nutcracker” range from $30-$50 and are available now at https://www.aacenterfordance.org/box-office.