Hi everyone !:
As i'm going to be in NYC during the holidays on vacation, i thought about where am i going to see the Nutcracker. Now, this is the thing. I would love to see a production with, at least, one this two requirements:
1- One in which kids, as cute as they are, are not involved.
or
2- One that is not Balanchine or Mc Kenzie based.

My ideal thing would be to see the Fokine choreography, which i know is danced by the Irine Fokine Ballet Company in NJ and i adore, but i was wondering if a could have some more options in Manhattan.

Newyorkers out there...advices, please..!

Nutcrackers galore, Cristian, but as far as I know, they are all school-based productions, ergo children, children everywhere.

Personally, I much prefer real children to adults portraying children. Granted, when they are given steps beyond their abilities, they are not enjoyable, but the same applies to adults. Grownups trying to be cute grate on my nerves.

Still, if anyone knows of such a production, please let us know.

You can try A Yorkville Nutcracker done by Frances Patrelle performed at Hunter College. There are kids in it but they are from Ballet Academy East, some older SAB students might be in it, and guest principals. Not Balanchine and I think McKenzie threw in the towel on his. You are missing a wonderful Nutcracker if you do not see NYCB, since you'll be in the city anyway.

http://www.abt.org/performances/abtontour.asp

I do not think this is the case!

Thanks for the advice, printscess. I'll certainly check it out. Nothing wrong with Balanchine, if i may say, on the Nutcracker issue, but the thing is that that's the version MCB shows, and i know it by heart already. Also, i miss the ballet as an "adult" ballet itself separated from its american traditional Christmas feeling- (wonderful, i agree, but sometimes a little distracting from its inner complex quintessential choreographic/musical values). Thank you also for the advise on the NYCB production. I'll checl it out also and report back.

Expanding Cristian's inquiry -- does this sort of Nutcracker exist anywhere anymore? I mean, a production close to the feel of the original version, intended for the original kind of of audience. I assume this is how The Nutcracker is done in Cuba -- but where else?

This will be shown at Hunter College's Kaye Theater, 68th between Lexington and Park. (Box Office open Mon-Sat, noon to 6PM, 212-772-4448). Abi Stafford and Stephen Hanna of NYCB are the advertised leads. Six perfs, Dec. 6-9.
There is no mention of SAB students, but four dance schools are referenced, including the Ailey School. I've seen this, with pleasure, several times. It is set in Old New York, yet is still traditional and has classical dancing, but is a bit more story-oriented than Mr. B's sublime version (which should really be seen on its home stage!).
http://www.dancespatrelle.org/repertory.ph...l&id=649445

I think that the 1978 Bolshoi/Maximova/Vasiliev production intended to be "adult-oriented". They didn't use children, but it seems like Grigorovitch,wanting to create a more "balletic" feeling, put a lot more of dance for Maximova and her multi-role performance, making it so only one ballerina would do the leading dance the whole night-(something that i particulary don't like, as i prefer to have a second ballerina, the actual "star of the night", doing the SPF, as it was originally intended ). This version also lacks the Snow Queen PDD, ( a later Fokine addition, i know, for Pavlova, but still beautiful). Overall, i would take this production right away if it was a matter of choosing...

Actually, it seem to me that a lot of the Nutcrackers running around in Europe are sans children. The Royal Ballet's has grown-ups pretending to be children, as do the Bolshoi's and the Mariinsky's. Do we want to mention Nureyev's raving Freudian Nutcracker with Drosselmeier as the romantic hero for the POB? They danced it last night, I think - thanks to the strike minus costumes and sets (oops - how's that for Freudian?) and Dorothee Gilbert was named an etoile immediately after. But that's not in New York, and no one's doing Morris's Hard Nut here either. Sorry, that wasn't very helpful was it?

Grrrr...i want to go to Europe!! (to visit, IMO)

I think the Royal Ballet's uses children from the Royal Ballet School....at least it did the last time I saw it....so it is not an adult only Nutcracker......

Hey, living in it's not so bad either......Though right now I could do without the weather....

Anyway, the Royal Ballet does use children in its traditional (tired?) Nutcracker. There are some quite interesting versions around England, e.g. Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! and ENB's version which I suppose is best described as 'zany'. Europe seems to go for 'concept', I guess which is not always so beneficial. (I heard bad things about Shemyakin's for the Mariinsky....?) For me, BRB all the way...

Sorry,