The Sugar Plum

I can remember some of my earliest ballet classes. The most memorable classes would be the time around Christmas. We would always get to learn combinations to famous classical ballet music. The Sugar Plum Fairy is such a recognizable song for me. Hearing this song live was an unreal experience. I received the chills as I watched the ballerina move perfectly to the music. I was reaching my head over to see which instruments were playing during this performance. I knew there was a flute right away, and I heard some type of strings. There is also horns playing along with the clarinet. This music is filled with light and makes the audience feel good. The melody sounds chromatic. There are many accents in the music. The dancer had perfect musicality while dancing to the Sugar Plum Fairy song. It was incredible performance. She hit her sous-sus position every time when an accent was heard in the music. This song is very familiar to many people. Around Christmas this song is played a lot! It holds a special meaning to me because it reminds me of being at the bar in ballet class. Listening to this music live made me think back to those days.

Live versus on a YouTube video is extremely different. Being close to the music during the live performance, I could not only hear, but also feel the music. I could feel the vibrations, and I could feel the passion from the orchestra. I have been to many performances in my life and it is hard to describe the certain feeling during live performances. I have cried many times during plenty of dances. I highly respect anyone who has the talent to bring tears to my eyes. While watching and hearing the Sugar Plum Fairy live, I felt very calm. The music flows while it goes higher and higher.

YOUTUBE LINK 1

While watching and hearing it back on you tube, you do not get the aesthetic of the “Fabulous” Fox or the feel of the vibrations the instruments give off. Also, the theater is huge and the energy of the music fills the entire room. This first YouTube clip only shows the stage. The camera follows the ballerina around as well. As I watched the ballet, I also was watching my friends’ and my old ballet teacher’s reactions. We all were dancing along. Our shoulders couldn’t help but move along and our feet were moving too. We were all feeling the music along with the ballerina on stage.

YOUTUBE LINK 2

This performance was much longer than the live performance and the first YouTube clip. The setting of the second clip is outside. However, the first one seems to be an inside setting. This is all director’s choice. I enjoyed the Fox Setting. It was simple and very elegant and accented the ballerina’s costume. The live performance was much more compelling overall. There are many more people on stage in the second clip than the first clip. I would say that the live performance has aspects of both performances. Seeing the Sugar Plum Fairy from the live Nutcracker is much more exciting. You can feel the ballerina’s emotions from the audience. While watching the YouTube clips it is harder to “feel” something. I got the same mediocre feeling watching both YouTube clips compared to the feeling while watching it live.

The Waltz of the Snowflakes live had a similar feel to the Sugar Plum Fairy music in the beginning. There was a choir singing and it sounded like chimes were going off as well. Many more dances filled the stage. My ballet teacher’s friend was one of the snowflakes. She tried pointing her out. However, during this performance she couldn’t even find her. The Waltz of the Snowflakes has around twenty dancers that all look identical. It was a beautiful piece and it made the snowflakes look more powerful since they looked the same. All of the ballerinas were in perfect sync. This scene replicated a storm and the music felt very intense and powerful. We never danced to this piece as much so it did not hit me as hard as the Sugar Plum Fairy Music. But the live performance was of course more intense then watching it back on the YouTube clip.

There are more layers and texture to this music. It is incredible to me how in sync all the ballerinas were. This music is less harmonious. So getting the timing right for this type of music is extremely difficult. It was hectic, as are snow falls sometimes. The piece really all came together and was absolutely beautiful to watch. The harp is really beautiful in this piece. I enjoyed watching the partner work as well during this piece. The melody is conjunct due to the music going from high to low a lot. The music builds throughout creating a more intense feel throughout the theater during the live performance. I was surprised at first when the singing started, but it created more energy on the stage.

It almost felt like I was in heaven while watching. The harp, bells, and triangles were all playing. It was all very whimsical. There was snow falling and the snowflake dancers almost looked like angles. It was truly stunning. Once again, I got the chills!

YOUTUBE LINK 1

YOUTUBE LINK 2

The second clip does not have as many snowflakes at the beginning. But once the storm starts more snowflakes come out. As said before, the instruments are all over the place. It is very loud and intense which makes it difficult for the dancers to be in sync. I would say that the first YouTube clip was the least in sync. The live performance I remember seeing some timing errors, but then again it was a rehearsal. The best timing and formations was from the second YouTube clip. This clip is from the NYC ballet and was filmed. This performance had to be flawless. It would have been amazing to this one live. The Fox theater in Saint Louis, Missouri has always had many different types of shows that come to perform. I go at least twice a year. This was a very special performance to go see. I have never seen the Nutcracker live, but I am very happy I did!

Being on the Miami Dance Team is very different from anything I have done. I miss going to ballet class and hearing classical music all the time. This performance made me remember how much I love classical music. I appreciate the hard work and talent that goes into the music. Without music, there is no dancing. The music in the Nutcracker is very different. It sounds whimsical and lifts the audience’s spirits. It has very high emotions, but it is calming in a way while taking in the setting, ballet, plot, and feeling the music.

The Different Experiences of Sugar Plum

The Sugar Plum

The Waltz of the Snowflakes Experiences