A MASTERPIECE of Russian ballet -- Grigorovich's Nutcracker -- is returning to the Palace Theatre, Manchester.
Premired in Moscow by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1966, the classic Christmas story about the little girl who is swept away to a magical dream world has been a legendary favourite in the traditional ballet repertoire ever since.
Yuri Grigorovich, one of the most influential twentieth-century Russian choreographers, originally created his sensational reworking of the Nutcracker in 1966, for the Bolshoi Ballet, where he was director for more than 20 years.
The production had not been seen in the UK since the early 70s, until Ellen Kent brought it back to this country, in the updated and revised version rehearsed by Grigorovich himself, for the Chisinau National Ballet.
The Nutcracker is full of Tchaikovsky's beautiful and memorable music and lavish orchestration featuring the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Waltz of the Flowers, Russian Dance and the Decoration of the Christmas Tree March.
The production boasts stunning scenery with flying boats, special effects and astonishing wizardry.
Nutcracker runs at the Palace to Saturday with matinees on Thursday and Saturday.
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