Der Nussknacker - International Festival Ballet

The Nutcracker - International Festival Ballet

International Festival Ballet & Festival Orchestra present
Nutcracker

Music: P. I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography: L. Ivanov and M. Petipa
Edited by A. Bogutsky

Fairytale-like Russian ballet art for young and old. A consummate work of art with live orchestral accompaniment

The ballet "The Nutcracker" is based on Alexandre Dumas' version of the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Tchaikovsky's musical adaptation was premiered in St. Petersburg on December 18, 1892 under the choreography of Lev Ivanov and delighted children and adults alike.

The art of classical ballet has often been highly praised by critics around the world. But as the saying goes: "Better seen once than heard a hundred times". Experience the beautiful ballet "The Nutcracker" with the International Festival Ballet and Hungary Festival Orchestra.

Marie takes center stage. She receives a nutcracker as a present from her godfather Drosselmeyer on Christmas Eve. As she goes to sleep, she dreams of a battle between the toy soldiers led by the Nutcracker and the army of the Mouse King. With her help, the Nutcracker is victorious and is then transformed into a prince. The prince travels with Marie to the realm of sweets. The journey takes them through the fir forest to Zuckerburg Castle, where the resident sugar fairy throws a party in honor of her guests. In addition, the grandiose set design by the brilliant theater designer Vjatscheslav Okunev, who has worked for the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and La Scala in Milan, among others, beautiful costumes and the boundless elegance and carefree lightness of the International Festival Ballet Ensemble ensure a dreamy and fairytale-like version of a classical ballet that continues to fascinate even after more than 100 years.

International Festival Ballet Ensemble dances at
Artistic Director Alex Bogutsky

Since summer 2022, St. Petersburg Festival Ballet has had a new name.

Shocked and affected by Russia's inhumane war of aggression against Ukraine, the renowned ballet ensemble is changing its name to "International Festival Ballet".

With this change, the artists are expressing their crystal-clear stance. The Festival Ballet is an international ballet that thinks beyond all national borders and stands for global understanding and togetherness in the poetry of art, music and dance. Since the beginning of the war, the artists have expressed their stance against Russian aggression through multiple protest actions before their performances. That is why they are now also under threat from Russia. The ensemble, in which a large number of Ukrainian artists also dance, sees itself all the more naturally as a ballet of peace and cohesion for all people.

The "International Festival Ballet" is a top-class ensemble that impresses audiences worldwide with its strict classical elegance, the fresh breath of the twenty-first century and a perfect dance performance. The troupe consists of 42 dancers. All dancers are graduates of the best Russian ballet schools such as the Vaganova Academy of St. Petersburg, the Kiev State Choreographic Academy, the Moscow Academy of Choreography, the Ufa Ballet School and the Perm Ballet Academy. The ensemble has also worked with the best ballet theaters and won numerous prizes and awards at international ballet festivals and competitions. The 42 dancers of the "International Festival Ballet" make up one of the most beautiful and strongest ballet companies and one of the most renowned in the world.

Festival Orchestra
Artistic Director & Chief Conductor Normunds Vaicis

Festival Orchestra was founded by talented musicians from Hungary, Ukraine and Latvia. The artistic director and chief conductor is a famous conductor, Maestro Normunds Vaicis. The orchestra's repertoire includes works by Ravel, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Faure and Albegis, Gounod and many others. The repertoire focuses on the music of classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote and many others. The orchestra has worked with renowned ballet ensembles from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Festival Orchestra has performed with great success in France, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and other European countries and has established itself as one of the best ballet orchestras in Europe despite its relatively small size. In the near future they will be playing the Russian ballet seasons for the well-known ballet ensemble International Festival Ballet in Scandinavia, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria