Photo Credit Karyn Kipley
By Lauren Means
Nashville Ballet made their highly-anticipated return to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) stage this week with the “Nashville’s Nutcracker.” The annual holiday event is the Company’s first live, indoor performance since February of 2020. The beloved classic runs December 15–24 in TPAC’s Jackson Hall. You will see glittering costumes and sets, live music, pre-performance holiday photo-ops, free pre-performance storytimes with Nashville Ballet teaching artists, and more.
The performance features Nashville Ballet company dancers, members of NB2 and their Professional Training Division, a Youth Cast of School of Nashville Ballet students, and musicians from the Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera Orchestra, and Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music.
The “Nashville’s Nutcracker” takes the classic story you know and love and Paul Vasterling puts a Music City twist on it. In Vasterling’s interpretation, you will recognize Nashville landmarks like The Parthenon and Shelby Bottoms. The one-of-a-kind production also features stunning costumes and sets by renowned designer Campbell Baird.
The story of “The Nutcracker” is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King.
The performance brought back the feelings of awe and wonder felt when seeing it for the first time as a child. Entering the lobby, you can feel the excitement from patrons chatting with one another, the joy from the kids getting their photo taken with a ballerina and nutcracker, and the merriment of everyone ready to start the Christmas season.
The entry lines moved quickly as everyone had their IDs and proof of COVID vaccination/negative COVID test available. There did not appear to be any issues with people wearing masks but the ushers did hold reminder signs in common areas and in the theater during the production.
The dancers were all amazing but the show stoppers were the “Nashville’s Nutcracker” Youth Cast who took the stage as children at the Christmas party, mice and soldiers in the Battle Scene, garden fairies in the Parthenon Garden Scene, and Russian Nesting Dolls and lambs in the Kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Also, Emily Bailey as the Dancing Bear was impressive as she managed to perform in a full bear costume.
Know Before You Go
Who: The Nashville Ballet
What: “Nashville’s Nutcracker”
Where: Tennessee Perferming Arts Center
When: December 15–24, 2021
Other: The show runtime is approximately two hours with each act running about 45 minutes and a the 20 minute intermission.
For more information on Nashville’s Nutcracker or to purchase tickets, visit nashvilleballet.com.
