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PUBLIC
PERFORMANCES
December
19-21, 2008
The O'Shaughnessy
Friday, December 19, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 20, 2:00pm
Saturday, December 20, 7:30pm
Sunday, December 21, 2:00pm
* Mississippi Valley Orchestra will play at all public
performances
Admission
Children (12 & under)..........$15.00
Seniors (62+)..................... $19.00 (all seats)
Adults section A..................$40.00
secton
B..................$35.00
secton
C..................$27.00
Call:
Ticketmaster......612-673-0404
Or
Go To:
O'Shaughnessy Ticket Office
College of St Catherine,
2004 Randolph Street,
St Paul, Minnesota
Directions
to O'Shaughnessy
Ask For:
Ballet Minnesota's
'Classic' Nutcracker
Ask about:
Public Performance Group
Rates
(groups of 20 or more: a 10% Discount)
For Information
O'Shaughnessy Ticket Office:
Information........651-690-670
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SCHOOL GROUPS Discount
Tickets
Performance for School Groups
Coordiantor: Ellen Cochran
December
17-19, 2008
The O'Shaughnessy
Wednesday, Dec.17, 10am - Noon
Thursday, Dec. 18, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Friday, Dec. 19, 10am - Noon.
$6.00 (for students and chaperones)
All performances at
'The O'Shaughnessy'
College of St Catherine,
2004 Randolph Street,
St Paul, Minnesota
if you would like to reserve tickets,
please E-MAIL the following info. :
1. day requested
Wednesday, December 17, 10:00am
Thursday, December 18, 10:30am
Friday, December 19, 10:00am
2. school
3. school address
4. phone
5. contact person
6. number of students & chaperones attending
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NUTCRACKER REVIEW
Pioneer Press
Posted on Thu, Dec. 14, 2006
'Classic Nutcracker'
is rich, vibrant, entertaining
BY LINDA
SHAPIRO
"Ballet Minnesota's Classic Nutcracker"
wraps the stage of the O'Shaughnessy like a homemade afghan with
intricate patterns and rich, vibrant colors. It offers warmth
and family feeling. And if it occasionally drops a few stitches,
the overall effect is spirited and highly entertaining.
The first act Christmas party in
the 19th century Silberhaus drawing room bristles with celebration
as elegant adults, adorable children, bustling maids and dancing
toys (sometimes in ragged unison) swirl about in lively, looping
patterns. Godfather Drosselmeyer, played with sinister jollity
by Robert Cleary, distributes toys to the delighted children,
including a spiffy Nutcracker for Clara Silberhaus.
Freezing the action at various
times during the festivities and adding pulsating strobe lights
is a terrific way to foreshadow the menacing scene that takes
place after midnight, when Clara sneaks downstairs to play with
her beloved Nutcracker. She is soon surrounded by frolicsome
little mice and red-eyed rats, who are quickly dispatched by
the Nutcracker and his crack regiment in a battle scene marked
by carefully orchestrated mayhem. The victorious Nutcracker,
transformed into a handsome young officer, whisks Clara off to
the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy with help from swirling snowflakes
and a whole cadre of vivacious little angels.
Andrew Rist's choreography for
the snowflakes is fast and brittle - more like a blizzard than
a soft, lyrical snowfall - and the ensemble often seems to be
racing to keep up with the deluge of steps. More successful is
his ravishing waltz of the Flowers in Act II, where lithe blossoms
melt in and out of kaleidoscopic patterns with unaffected ease,
led by Erin Warn as a prize-winning rose.
Once in the castle of the Sugar
Plum Fairy, Clara and the Nutcracker (danced with vitality and
élan by Kathleen Schaefer and Allen Gregory) are entertained
by dances from many lands. These include a saucy "Carmen"-flavored
Spanish; a robust Russian; and a piquant Chinese variation with
spinning parasols, a dragon, and a smoke-belching demon.
Most satisfying of all is the pas
de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, performed
with regal aplomb by former Bolshoi Ballet soloist Oksana Konobeyeva
and Alexey Agudin of American Ballet Theater. Aside from dazzling
dancing, the two exhibit an ardent warmth and generosity of spirit
that could serve as a model for the budding Clara and her faithful
Nutcracker.
Cheryl Rist's imaginative costumes
and Mary Novodvorsky's richly inventive sets greatly enhanced
this animated production.
Pioneer
Press
"Choreographer
Andrew Rist's classic interpretation focuses on telling the story
through the dynamic flow of the dancing. Notable for
its stunning design and energetic performances, this "Nutcracker"
makes the children a vital part of the story. "
Star Tribune
"Ballet
Minnesota Energizes a Classic"
.
Borcht
Arts Magazine
"This
radiant production brought the spirit of Christmas thundering
back."
"Recently, while on a visit to Minneapolis from California,
my son took my wife and myself to St. Catherine's (O'Shaughnessy
Auditorium) for your production of the Nutcracker. We've
seen many productions over the years in San Francisco, Seattle,
and elsewhere, as it is a family tradition. Seattle
had a superb production, what with Maurice Sendak's sets, and
the production was very elaborate, but it couldn't hold a candle
to Ballet Minnesota's production. The dancers were
superb, the costumes and sets were terrific, but the energy and
humor brought one into the story, and it was the most entertaining
production I've ever seen. Thank
you for a very enjoyable evening, and good luck in the future.
You have a winner, and I wish you well in the New Year."
- F.X. Radnich, California -
"I just saw Ballet Minnesota's performance of The
Nutcracker this past Friday night at O'Shaughnessy auditorium.
It was a fabulous performance and I left feeling quite proud
that we have such a good ballet company here."
- Tamara
Lee, Maplewood -
Thank you so much for your student performance of the "Nutcracker".
Our group so enjoys and looks forward to this yearly event. If
it wasn't for the affordability of Ballet Minnesota (student)
performances, many of our students would not have an oppourtunity
to see the fine art of dance in person.
- Cheryl
White, homeschool teacher -
Thank you so much for yet another year of the Nutcracker performances.
It was a truly enchanting experience for my children and enriching
for adults and children alike.
-
Annmarie Kirsch, St Anthony -
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