Putting ballet on stage in west Japan at the city's Culture Center

Minutes before Nutcracker Suite begins - no cameras allowed

The Kyiv Classical Ballet Company entertained a big audience on Wednesday night with their rendition of the Nutcracker story set to P. I. Tchaikovsky's music. Since no recordings or cameras were permitted, this snapshot before the curtain rises is a writing prompt for the impressions of a newcomer to the dancing stage. In no particular order several thoughts came to mind, beyond the visual splendor, the athleticism of men and women, and the overall gestalt of High Art.

Logistics must be mind-boggling for a stage of 25 to 30 professional dancers and the supporting colleagues for costume, lighting, direction, make-up, physical conditioning/injuries, travel details for lodging and meals, and so on. And for long tours there may well be personality conflicts, entanglements, and spill-over of home and work settings. On the surface there are highly trained minds and bodies moving rhythmically around a stage, usually accompanied by music, but even without the music the visual "music" is a sight to see.

The Nutcracker and its Russian music may carry added meaning in these times of Russian invasion of Ukraine, ongoing since February 24, 2022. The military draft age of the male performers may give them an awareness that they are expressing the creative powers of the nation instead of wearing a uniform. At the end of this show on the Japan tour, the flags of Japan and of Ukraine were featured during the curtain call. And one of the scenes in the first half included a costume that mimicked the blue (above) and yellow (below) of the national flag of Ukraine. One of the backdrops had a prominent gold and blue look, as did the light pattern on the Christmas tree at the center of the stage. Perhaps the performance is so much a part of the Christmas season in Ukraine, that the Russian elements are not viewed as such. Or the way it is conducted in Ukraine may produce a locally inflected interpretation so that it has become domesticated to the Ukraine audiences and dancers, leaving little trace of the Russia connections.

When it comes to rehearsing, choreographing movements, creating the sets and fitting into the music, there are all kinds of social relationships and statuses being negotiated. The idea of "prima donna" (first woman/dancer) comes from the ballet world, where one dancer stands out from the rest. Audiences of newcomers or seasoned ballet watchers may focus on the main characters, but all the others on stage contribute to the whole, as well, even if overlooked in the passing minutes of the plot.

If the originator of the story and music and the stage adaptation from long ago could see the modern interpretation now, it would be interesting to ask about impressions of the way that ballet companies present the work now compared to before. But it would also be interesting to ask the creators long ago how the vision grew and changed between first imagining and finally drafting the version performed still today: how did it change along the way?

As for viewing the performance with the rest of the audience, an experienced ballet enthusiast will no doubt look for (and discover) things that a first-time watcher may not see or hear. And in the eyes of a former dancer seeing the new generation do the same story, it would be interesting to know how it looks.

In the end, the simplicity of dancers moving around the stage and the complexity of so many lives involved on stage and behind the scenes (now and in generations before and after the present moment) make for enjoyable viewing and reflecting on the storyline, but also on the production to make everything come together to delight audiences.