The famous ballet, The Nutcracker, will be staged by the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet and Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) on Nov 16 and Nov 18, 2012.
The ballet is a part of Transposition, an on-going cultural project between various Norwegian and Vietnamese music institutions. The project aims to build strong ties and mutual exchange of expertise between musicians in both countries.
The Vietnamese production is choreographed by Norwegian Johanne Jakhelln Constant with the Symphony Orchestra conducted by the Norwegian conductor and pianist Magnus Loldgard.
Constant, the art director of the Moving Art Theatre in Bodo, Norway, has worked with HBSO to premiere the ballet in HCM City last year.
The two-act work will feature ballet stars like Diem Trang (played Clara), Ho Phi Diep (Prince), Minh Tu (Snow Queen), and Duc Nhuan (Hr. Drosselmeyer).
A graduate of Oslo’s Fagerborg Dance School and the Stockholm Dance University, Constant has a master’s degree in performance from Iowa University in the US.
She has worked with famous ballet teachers like Francoise Martinet, Fernando Bujones, Laura Alonso, and Edward Ellison.
She has spent many hours a day with her Vietnamese assistants, choreographers Ta Quang Hung, Nguyen Phuc Hung and Diep, to reinvent the performance, both in choreography and staging.
Christmas treat
The Nutcracker, first performed in Russia in 1892, has two acts. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a musical score provided by the legendary Tchaikovsky.
It was adapted from The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, a story by German author ETA Hoffmann.
The ballet is based on the dream of the little girl Clara and her adventures with a nutcracker, a gift from her godfather.
The Nutcracker has grown in popularity since the mid-20th century and is now performed by ballet companies worldwide, especially during the Christmas season.
Performances are at 8pm on November 16 and 18 at the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.
The Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Embassy and Music Information Centre Norway all sponsored the event.
Tickets cost VND250,000 (US$11), 350,000 and 500,000, and are available at the theatre.
