St David’s Hall Tuesday 20 December – Monday 2 January La Fille Mal Gardée, The Nutcracker & Swan Lake!
WITH the festive season fast approaching, there’s no better way to get in the Christmas and New Year spirit than by enjoying a Russian ballet at St David’s Hall. Here are 10 reasons why they are unmissable!
- Christmas is the most magical time of year especially for children. In 1891, Tchaikovsky based The Nutcracker’s music around a sinister short story by German author E.TA. Hoffman, which definitely wasn’t for kids! It evolved into the family fun as we know it today, and the children won’t believe it as presents spring to life before their eyes!
- Modern day interpretations of The Nutcracker are also perfect for children as it allows them to drift away into a fantasy world where anything is possible. Be prepared to travel to the Land of Snow where the treacherous Mouse King and his army battle the heroic Nutcracker Prince. Who will win the fight between Good and Evil?
- La Fille Mal Gardée was the creation of Jean Dauberval, one of the greatest choreographers of his day. Legend has it that Dauberval found his inspiration for the ballet whilst in a Bordeaux print shop where he saw a Pierre-Antoine Baudouin painting. It showed a girl in tears being reprimanded by her mother, whilst her lover scurries away in the background. This charming story of a couple in the throes of young love and their increasingly inventive ways to avoid her watchful mother remains one of the most captivating tales in ballet.
- Despite its French title, La Fille Mal Gardée is emphatically English in theme and is inspired by a love for the Suffolk countryside. With its exuberant good humour and delightful pastoral wit, you’ll love its folky choreography derived from Lancashire clog and maypole dances.
- Swan Lake is perhaps the most desired to see performed live especially as it features Tchaikovsky’s instantly recognisable score. If you’ve never experienced a ballet before, then this is the one to see! Odette is a beautiful princess, who is turned into a swan by a sorcerer’s evil curse. Only love can reverse the spell. Will Odette find her handsome prince?
- Tchaikovsky originally wrote Swan Lake to entertain his nieces during the summer of 1871 and it was only when the Imperial Theatre in Moscow commissioned a full-length ballet that he remembered he had already started one. Swan Lake went on to become the greatest romantic ballet of all time!
- The dual role of the white and black swans is one of ballet’s most unmissable technical challenges. Some say it’s the ‘Holy Grail’ for ballerinas and to be cast as the two main characters is perhaps the highest honour for a ballet dancer not least because it’s so difficult to perform! Incredibly, Swan Lake didn’t become popular until two years after Tchaikovsky’s death when the masterpiece was deservedly revived.
- It’s enough to just want to come and see the exquisite costumes and ornate set designs at St David’s Hall. Yet, the majesty of the ballroom and the moonlit scene where the swans glide in perfect formation in Swan Lake is truly a sensational sight to behold!
- It’s the season of goodwill and St David’s Hall would like to spread the festive cheer with great prices for the whole family to enjoy our Christmas ballets! Children’s tickets for Under 16s are 50% off all performances, starting at just £7.50* for matinees and £8.25* for late afternoon and early evening performances. We can also offer an amazingly good value deal for two adults and two children under 16 to attend any matinee with fees starting at only £41*, and just £46* for any of the later shows.
- The acoustics at St David’s Hall are perfect for unamplified orchestral music so for scores as powerful as Tchaikovsky’s! Experience the tingle down your spine and the tears running down your cheeks at the finale of our three captivating ballets!
Celebrate Christmas and New Year in style with these breathtaking ballets for the whole family at St David’s Hall!
La Fille Mal Gardée
Tuesday 20 December, 7pm
Wednesday 21 December, 2pm
Wednesday 21 December, 5pm
The Nutcracker
Thursday 22 December, 2pm & 5.30pm
Friday 23 December, 2pm & 5.30pm
Saturday 24 December, 2pm
Tuesday 27 December, 2pm & 5.30pm
Wednesday 28 December, 2pm & 5.30pm
Swan Lake
Thursday 29 December, 2pm & 7pm
Friday 30 December, 2pm & 5.30pm
Saturday 31 December, 2pm
Monday 2 January, 2pm & 5.30pm
Tickets are available now at www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
or at the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.
*A £3.95 Ticket Service Charge applies per transaction for all performances, plus an optional 95p postage fee.
