Holiday Shows and Sugarplum Fairies

The Nutcracker is based on the story "The Nutracker and The King of Mice" by E.T. Hoffman and all of the music in the ballet is written by Tchaikovsky.  The story is about a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker prince and a battle with the King of Mice and consists of five scenes.

The Party Scene- This scene takes place on Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaums annual party. Clara and Fritz are the children. Godfather Dosselhymer presents two life size doll to the children. Clara receives the nutcracker doll. Fritz becomes jealous and grabs and breaks the doll. Godfather fixes the doll with a magical handkerchief.  Night falls and the family goes to sleep while Clara sneaks out to the tree to check on her doll, falling asleep with it in her arms.
The Fight Scene - The clock strikes midnight and the toys come to life. The Nutcracker awakens and goes into an intense battle with the mice and the Mouse King. The Nutcracker is victorious.
The Land of Snow - The Nutcracker turns into a prince and takes Clara on an adventure to the Land of Snow, an enchanted forest where they are greeted by dancing snowflakes.
The Land of Sweets - The Prince escorts Clara to the land of sweets where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The prince tells her about their daring battle with the Mouse King and she rewards them with a celebration of dances including, Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Chinese, Mirilton Dances and the Waltz of Flowers.
The Dream Ends - Clara arises from her sleep alone by the Christmas tree with her Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker is a holiday classic and for ballet dancers means a lot of work! Dancers should be prepared for the extra amount of stress dancing a show can put on their body and feet. Our product store at vailfoot.com has several products to relieve your aching feet.  One great product is RecoverIce Ice Wrap Bandage.  This product is great because it requires no refrigeration and you can take it backstage with you because it stays cool for up to 2 hours. It provides cooling and compression and is ready to use.  A perfect product for backstage aches. If you are having post-Nutcracker problems with your feet, contact our office at 419-423-1888 and schedule and appointment today or visit our website at vailfoot.com.