The Royal City Youth Ballet presents its annual holiday classic The Nutcracker on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Abbotsford.
Ballet students from throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, including Abbotsford, join a cast of more than 100 dancers under the direction of Dolores Kirkwood.
Performing to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music, this traditional ballet has sets designed by Jean Claude Olivier and colourful costumes by Chris Sinosich.
There are magical soldiers, mice, a Sugar Plum fairy and a growing Christmas tree, all danced to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score, with snowflakes, Snow King and Queen, Waltz of the Flowers, Arabian, Spanish and other favourites.
The production is set on Christmas Eve. Drosselmeyer, godfather to Clara, brings gifts and magic to her parents’ home for the annual Christmas party.
His special gift to Clara is a large nutcracker soldier. When she falls asleep after the party, Clara is cradling the nutcracker in her arms and begins to dream.
In her dream, her nutcracker soldier fights a battle and transports her on a sleigh through the Land of Snow to the Land of Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy and people from faraway lands.
The ballet closes as Drosselmeyer brings Clara back from her dream, still cradling her nutcracker soldier and treasuring her wonderful dream.
The Abbotsford show takes place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Abbotsford Arts Centre, 2329 Crescent Way. Tickets are available through The Act box office in Maple Ridge by calling 604-476-2787 or online at theactmapleridge.org.
