Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker dances onto the Centre for Performing Arts stage, December 7 to 10

A Canadian theme distinguishes Vancouver’s only professional production of the timeless classic

Nutcracker. Photo by Daniel Crump

 
 
 

Ballet BC presents Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker December 7 to 10 at the Centre for Performing Arts

 

DANCING SNOWFLAKES, the Waltz of the Flowers, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and an evil Mouse King: Nutcracker is back, with Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s version featuring a distinctly Canadian theme. Think busby-hatted RCMP officers, a hockey game on a frozen pond, a battle on Parliament Hill, snowball fights, polar bears, and even Hudson’s Bay blankets.

Commissioned by André Lewis, who wanted a Nutcracker Canadians could call their own, the rendition choreographed by Galina Yordanova and Nina Menon takes place at the turn of last century. It’s set to Pytor Ilich Tchaikovsky’s beloved score and features dazzling costumes by Paul Daigle and scenic design—magical and wintry—by Brian Perchaluk.

For tickets and more details, see https://balletbc.com/performance/nutcracker2023/.  

 
 
 
 
 
Featured
Gail Johnson
Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is cofounder of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

 
 

Related Articles

Articles
Dance review: Flowing forms and abstract storytelling in Royal Winnipeg Ballet double bill
Dance review: Flowing forms and abstract storytelling in Royal Winnipeg Ballet double bill

T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods heralds an exciting new voice, while Carmina Burana strips the work down to its essence

Hoop dance and Métis jigging meet as Beany John and Sophie Dow take the stage at Matriarchs Uprising
Hoop dance and Métis jigging meet as Beany John and Sophie Dow take the stage at Matriarchs Uprising

The Dance Centre and O.Dela Arts present the piece that draws on the performers’ Indigenous ancestors

New Works hosts inaugural dance-focused Leadership in Practice Symposium, March 22
New Works hosts inaugural dance-focused Leadership in Practice Symposium, March 22

One-day gathering for artists, educators, and choreographers explores how leadership can be more responsive to the dance world

Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods braids Indigenous storytelling with classical dance
Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods braids Indigenous storytelling with classical dance

Rising Tla’amin choreographer Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe draws on a tale he heard growing up for a large-scale work that joins Carmina Burana on a double bill

Ballet Jörgen gives Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream a ’50s Albertan twist
Ballet Jörgen gives Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream a ’50s Albertan twist

Fun riffs on the classic include a moose-headed Bottom wearing buffalo plaid and an appearance by a royal couple

Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement
Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement

In this PuSh Fest, Music on Main, and Dance Centre premiere, humming songs, whispered words, and hypnotic movement bring a sense of serenity and connection to a chaotic world

In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living
In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living

With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing

Ballet BC highlights masterful choreographers Crystal Pite and Jiří Kylián with INFINITY, February 26 to 28
Ballet BC highlights masterful choreographers Crystal Pite and Jiří Kylián with INFINITY, February 26 to 28

Program features Pite’s Frontier, a deep dive into the unknown, and Kylián’s 27’52”, an exploration of theoretical elements

Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer
Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer

In a riveting PuSh Festival and New Works copresentation, Belgium’s Cherish Menzo plays with repetition, chopped-and-screwed music, and flashing dental grillz

Review: Liquid limbs and mesmerizing visual magic at Recirquel’s Paradisum
Review: Liquid limbs and mesmerizing visual magic at Recirquel’s Paradisum

In DanceHouse and The Cultch co-presentation, the Hungarian company is full of flowing bodies and rippling fabric

DANCEGail JohnsonBallet BC, Nutcracker, Royal Winnipeg Ballet