Nutcracker, that frosted favourite of the classics and charming piece of icing sugar for the Christmas season, was danced by the Moscow Ballet at Basingstoke Anvil last Friday evening.
Moscow Ballet "La Classique" was founded in 1990, and utilising ballet dancers from the leading theatres of CIS countries and the Bolshoi, Kirov and Ballet Theatres of Kiev and Odessa, has toured much of the world.
Although stage space at The Anvil is limited, and Moscow are a budget ballet company, it was still possible for their innovative director Elik Melikov, to create a charmingly vivacious version of the Nutcracker,
The ever popular classic has all the ingredients necessary for an over-indulgence of Christmas nostalgia, recalling a time when children dreamed of magical kingdoms with fairies, wizards and toys that come to life, as little Clara makes her night-gowned journey through the astonishing uniform snowflakes to the Land of Sweets (Confiturembourg) with her Nutcracker Prince.
Perhaps staging was somewhat minimalist, with the soloists dancing dual roles, but it did not detract from the overall performance which delighted both adults and the many children in the audience.
Musically Tchaikovsky, that king composer of the classical ballet, lights a hundred thousand candles with his sparking score for Nutcracker.
It makes it hard to believe that a ballet that deliveries so much spontaneous fun was created from the cramped instructions of choreographer Ivanov and librettist Pepita.
I think it is true to say the Russian company's obvious competence in mechanical technique forges the framework for their artistry rather than dramatic interpretation.
Fortunately Nutcracker is such delightful spectacle, brimming over with so many fantastic concoctions, it doesn't require too much emotion, but even so I did find Friday night's Drosselmayer, that wizard of a Godfather, failed to conjure up that special air of mystery and magic - perhaps a few lessons from Harry Potter would help.
Albina Dmitrieva, who possesses a quality of romantic lightness, danced both Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy with Igor Stetsior-Mova as her Cavalier the Nutcracker Prince.
Their pas de deux in acts one and two were additional classical ornaments to a ballet already overflowing with goodies.
Moscow Ballet's warring mice, as well as the dancers of the divertissements, Spanish, Arabian, Chinese Mirlitons and the athletic Bouffon, not only provided colour but also a great deal of vigour and fun.
Moscow Ballet, La classique, will be touring those peerless ballets Giselle and Swan Lake during 2002.
Sue Cansfield