The Nutcracker

Konstantinos Rigos returns to his favourite composer with a new choreography for The Nutcracker for a second time, after the ones he had created for the other two works of Tchaikovsky’s trilogy: Swan Lake (GNO Ballet, 2019) and The Sleeping Beauty. This time he attempts to see the work through the eyes of the children, who feel that they are placed on the margins, forced to create their own dreams in a world torn down by «grown-ups». The GNO Ballet Director gives a strange reading of the story, which each person will experience differently, based on their own dreams and pent-up feelings. The set is a window display-like glass room, in which Marie-Clara will dream and take a journey through her imagination.

The new production of The Nutcracker balances between a contemporary style and the classical tradition of dance. The costumes by Deux Hommes are a mix of pop, glam, colourful, impressive pieces of haute couture along with national costumes and fabrics inspired by earlier performances of the Greek National Opera.

Konstantinos Rigos notes about the new choreography: «On Christmas Eve, as Marie-Clara opens up the presents her godfather gave her, she finds a strange toy, her favourite Nutcracker. In her delicate childhood world, dreams, and reality blend in the sweetest way. In the Nutcracker’s arms she will have the most amazing dreams but also the most frightening nightmares. This time the Nutcracker of the GNO Ballet will attempt to bring out both the dark and the bright, spectacular side of the known fairy tale. A strange new world is created on stage, in which Marie-Clara’s glass room meets the bright, colourful objects hovering on stage and the baroque portals leading to the underground kingdom of mice, but also to the wonderfully lit Christmas tree. The costumes by Deux Hommes, in their second collaboration with the GNO Ballet, add that touch of magic every fairy tale needs. »