GCSE Dance Nutcracker

The first performance of the dance was in August 1992.

The music was composed in 1892 for the original ballet.

The dance was choreographed by Matthew Bourne.

The dance style is ballet and contempory.

The starting point and theme of the dance is the original Nutcracker ballet retold. 

The dance uses a lot of humor and uses facial expressions to sdd to the stroyline.

The piece involves around 20 dancers (big cast).

The music was created by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

It is a classical music by an orchestra and was composed for the original ballet.

The music has been cleverly chosen for each section. The liquorice allsorts use a spanish and flirty number with stamps and flicks of the skirts. The Knickerbocker Glory music is soft and slow to match fluid movements of the dancer. 

The costumes were designed by Anthony Ward.

The orphans clothes are black, white and grey to match set design, they are made out of cheep fabrics to show poor, dull, drab and shapless clothes.

The sweetie costumes are exaggerated and elaborate. They emphasise each character the dancer is representing such as the marshmellow girls are pink and fluffy in both personality and costume. 

There is a massive contrast betweeen the start costumes and the end costumes, this moves the dance along and shows the time passing.

The lighting was done by Howard Harrison.

Orphanage section the lighting is dull and white, blue lights make it look cold and unappealing. Black out untill Matron claps her hands and spotlight comes up on her. As visitors arrive lighting gets warmer so as to try and fool them. Lighting gets cool again when they leave. Lights coming in from window to show street lights outside. When night time the whole lighting gettes darker. 

Frozen lake has blue and cool lights so as to show bright and crisp day. On the back arch there are three lights coming from it as if to show rays of sunshine. The light bounces off the pillow at the back. Entrances and Exits are darkened so as to make it look like an ice rink. 

Lighting used to accentuate sweetie character, knickerbocker glory has dark lights with a spotlight on him to entice the audience to look at him in his flirty and sleezy personality. There are disco lights as reflection from the pink lips. Marshmellow girls are all in pink lights to show girly and feminine personality. 

Set desighned by Anthony Ward.

Orphanage walls are drab and cracked, cast iron beds are used as props to create use of levels and to show poorness of children.There are wonky windows to show poorly built room and house. This helps to set the story of the piece.

Sweetie land is compleate contrast to orphanage as it is bright and colourfull. There is a three tiered wedding cake which is used to create levels and candles produce light. Makes the set more desirable and delicious looking and shows fun.