The Nutcracker - International Festival Ballet

International Festival Ballet & Festival Orchestra present
A Fantasy of Beauty, Elegance, and Grace
"The Nutcracker"
The best ballet fairy tale of all time
Music: P. I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography: L. Ivanov and M. Petipa
Edited by A. Bogutsky

The Nutcracker just in time for Christmas
Fairy-tale Russian ballet art for young and old. A complete work of art with live orchestral accompaniment.
The ballet "The Nutcracker" is based on Alexandre Dumas' version of the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Tchaikovsky's musical adaptation premiered on December 18, 1892, in St. Petersburg under the choreography of Lev Ivanov and delighted both children and adults.
The classical ballet art has often been highly praised by critics from around the world. But there is a saying: "Better seen once than heard a hundred times." Experience the beautiful ballet "The Nutcracker" with the International Festival Ballet and Festival Orchestra.

At the center of the story is Marie. On Christmas Eve, she receives a nutcracker from her godfather Drosselmeyer. When she goes to sleep, she dreams of a battle led by the nutcracker against the army of the Mouse King. With her help, the nutcracker wins and then transforms into a prince. The prince travels with Marie to the Land of Sweets, passing through the Pine Forest to the Castle of Sugarburg, where the Sugar Fairy hosts a celebration in honor of her guests. Additionally, the magnificent stage design by the brilliant theater designer Vyacheslav Okunev, who has worked for the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and La Scala in Milan, beautiful costumes, and the boundless elegance and carefree lightness of the International Festival Ballet ensemble create a dreamy and fairy-tale version of a classic ballet that continues to fascinate even after over 100 years.

International Festival Ballet Ensemble dances under the artistic direction of Alex Bogutsky.
Since summer 2022, the St. Petersburg Festival Ballet has a new name. Shocked and affected by the inhumane war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, the renowned ballet ensemble has changed its name to "International Festival Ballet."
With this change, the artists express their clear stance. The Festival Ballet is an international ballet that thinks beyond national borders and stands for global understanding and togetherness in the poetry of art, music, and dance. The artists have expressed their stance against Russian aggression through numerous protests before their performances since the beginning of the war. As a result, they are now threatened from Russia. Thus, the ensemble, which includes a significant number of Ukrainian artists, sees itself as a ballet of peace and solidarity among all people.

The "International Festival Ballet" is a high-caliber ensemble that impresses worldwide with its strict classical elegance, the fresh touch of the twenty-first century, and a perfect performance. The troupe consists of 42 dancers. All dancers are graduates of the best Russian ballet schools, such as the Vaganova Academy of St. Petersburg, the State Choreographic Academy of Kyiv, the Moscow Academy of Choreography, the Ufa Ballet School, and the Perm Ballet Academy. Furthermore, the ensemble has collaborated with the best ballet theaters and has won numerous awards and accolades at international ballet festivals and competitions. Thus, these 42 dancers of the "International Festival Ballet" represent one of the most beautiful and strongest ballet companies, as well as one of the most renowned worldwide.

FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
Artistic Director & Conductor Normunds Vaicis
The Festival Orchestra was founded by talented musicians from Moldova, Ukraine, and Latvia. The artistic director and chief conductor is the renowned maestro Normunds Vaicis. The orchestra's repertoire includes works by Ravel, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Faure, Albegis, Gounod, and many others. The music for classical ballets such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote, and many others is at the heart of the repertoire. The orchestra has collaborated with renowned ballet ensembles from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The Festival Orchestra has performed successfully in France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and other European countries and has established itself as one of the best ballet orchestras in Europe despite its relatively small size. In the near future, they will perform the classical ballet seasons for the famous International Festival Ballet Company in Scandinavia, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria.