A magical, visionary adaptation of the quintessential winter ballet – Dutch premiere
Limitless imagination, exuberant choreographies, tender and moving dance and a totally new approach to Tchaikovsky’s famous music: this work, the biggest production that Introdans has ever staged, has got it all! The dance company presents another contemporary, internationally successful adaptation of a universally loved classic for all the family, and simultaneously a premiere for the Netherlands. This time we have chosen the ultimate winter ballet: The Nutcracker, but in a totally new interpretation by the Belgian choreographer Jeroen Verbruggen. His version does not include a Christmas tree, sugar fairy or gifts, but it does contain all the magic and enchantment that you expect from The Nutcracker. Introdans gives it a quirky and unique touch. A version about ‘cracking’ your own shell, your own nut, in order to discover your true identity. Major highlights include Verbruggen’s vibrant choreography, the ‘dream land’ stage décor and the lavish, baroque costumes by the Paris-based fashion duo On Aura Tout Vu by Yassen Samouilov and Livia Stoianova, which has stars such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Christina Aguilera among its clientele. After the resounding success of Carmen and Swan Lake in the last two years, The Nutcracker is a new performance by Introdans in the winter months for every dance lover (6-106 years).
“The audience, young and old, can look forward to an amazing spectacle. The production is vibrant, it’s festive, it’s brimming with imagination and every element reveals that this Nutcracker comes straight from Jeroen Verbruggen’s heart,” says Introdans director Roel Voorintholt. ‘Spectacular, rousing, wonderfully witty but also sensitive’ wrote Le Temps
Also for the blind and partially sighted! We offer The Nutcracker in Nijmegen and The Hague with live audio description and special introduction by a blind interpreter from Komt het Zien! Read more info here.
The Nutcracker will premiere 14 December 2024 in Orpheus Apeldoorn.
tour: 14 December – 22 February
all locations: Apeldoorn, Maastricht, Zutphen, Den Bosch, Amersfoort, Zwolle, Sittard, Deventer, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Haarlem, Den Haag, Hengelo, Amstelveen
In his sensual version the choreographer generally remains faithful to the original Nutcracker story by E.T.A. Hoffmann. But there’s also a difference: in his version, Marie (called Clara in some ballet versions) isn’t a sweet young girl but an adolescent who feels lost in her own body and, in her dreams, goes in search of herself. This matches Verbruggen’s vision of the Nutcracker, where the most important thing to ‘crack’ is your own shell, your own nut, and in this way be able to discover your true identity. A further theme in this production is the idea that first you need to (learn to) love yourself before you can find love with another. Moreover, in this Nutcracker it sometimes seems that elements from the Narnia books of C.S. Lewis pop up, as well as from the books of Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland, but even more Alice Through the Looking-Glass). A wardrobe through which you can disappear plays an important role in the show, as well as mirrors that reveal your true nature.
Nutcracker Experium
Just as with Carmen and Swan Lake, Introdans offers an ‘experium’ for The Nutcracker in the theatre foyer prior to the show and during the interval. It’s an interactive, immersive experience for young and old, where you can use all your senses to experience The Nutcracker even more intensively.
About the choreographer
Verbruggen was originally a dancer, performing consecutively with the Royal Flemish Ballet, the Ballet d’Europe and then ten years with the renowned Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. He created his Nutcracker for the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève in 2014. It was his first major, full-length production and it was an immediate and huge success, becoming one of the company’s signature pieces both in its own theatre in Geneva and on tour in countries such as France, Italy, Germany and Russia.