Celebrating Christmas & New Year with “The Nutcracker” Ballet

24 December 2023

Under the Supervision of Dr. Khaled Dagher, the Cairo Opera House continues its Christmas and the New Year celebrations. The Cairo Opera Ballet Company accompanied with the Cairo Opera Orchestra presents the magnificent Russian classical ballet “The Nutcracker” at the Main Hall on 26, 27, 28, 29 & 30 December 2023 at 8 p.m.
Based on choreography by L. Ivanov, Vaionine and Abdel Moneim Kamel, the performance is directed by Erminia Kamel and conducted by Maestro Nader Abbassi with set design by Lev Solodovnikov and Mohamed El Gharabawy; lighting design by Yasser Shaalan and graphics by Mohamed Abdel Razik.
Composed by P. I. Tchaikovsky, “The Nutcracker” is a fairy tale ballet performed during the Christmas season by ballet companies all over the world. The storyline revolves around the dreams of the beautiful young girl Clara on Christmas Eve after she receives a Nutcracker doll from her family friend, the toymaker Drosselmeyer. Impressed by the doll, which is accidentally broken by her brother Fritz, Clara becomes sad, falls asleep, and dreams of the toy returning to its original state. It transforms into a handsome prince, leading to a series of dreamy tales between Clara, her prince, and the Christmas toys.
The ballet is based on a story by the French writer Alexandre Dumas, adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and was premiered in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.
“The Nutcracker” was first presented by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company at the Main Hall in 1993. Since then, it has become a core part of the Company’s repertoire and favored by audiences every time it is presented. As part of Christmas and New Year celebrations, the COBC features this magnificent classical production annually in December, maintaining its classic elements in set design, costumes and music.