A must for the little ones. Comes back The Nutcracker to the stage of Konex Cultural City (Sarmiento 3131), during June and July, and the room is already warming up for the next winter holidays. Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic is presented with a special adaptation by Juan Lavanga, directed by Federico Fernández and co-directed by Nina Zaera. The functions are performed Sundays June 9 and 30, and in July on Thursday 18, Friday 19 and 26, Saturdays July 20 and 27, and every Sunday of the month, always at 11.
The initiative is part of the 34th season of Let’s go to the Balleta cycle created by the Konex Foundation to bring classic genres closer to children. And in this framework, the project The Nutcracker It is carried out thanks to the joint work between the Foundation and the Art and Culture Association. The performance features performances by leading figures from the dance corps of the Teatro Colón and the Teatro Argentino de La Plata, also members of the Buenos Aires Youth Ballet. This is a proposal innovative and attractive designed for the whole family, but with a poetic focus on the little ones. The choreography, for its part, is in charge of the dancer Emanuel Abruzzo, who proposes a fusion classical, regional dances, various dances and foley effects. And all these elements are combined on stage with a set created with mappingprojections and animations.
“It’s a classic for childhood, but in this case Tchaikovsky’s music also contributes a lot,” says Juan Lavanga. “There are well-known fragments that have become popular, such as the famous ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ that is danced at 15th parties or at weddings. And on the other hand, it is a work full of characters, color, regional dances and a Christmas story that, beyond creeds, is always celebrated by everyone and is a happiness for families. In other countries, in the months of November and December it is customary to offer this ballet. We do it in other months and we like it a lot too. “It is a magical work.”adds the producer, who has also adapted other famous works by the Russian composer such as Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.
–What was the work process like for this adaptation for the whole family?
-The work was hard, and always thinking about the children and their power to adapt and accept a ballet show, which is not easy. By integrating the entire family into the show, there is always a character through which they can identify certain situations. For example, there is the grandmother, who is the one telling the story, played by the actress Victoria Barnfather, and the funny and playful uncle at the party, played by the dancer Nicolás Baroni. There is also an exceptional youth cast, made up mostly of dancers from the Instituto del Teatro Colón, and the main dancers belong to the Teatro Colón and the Argentino de La Plata. Ludmila Galaverna and Facundo Luqui and Romina Panelo and Emanuel Gómez are the first invited figures, and that is the moment of pure ballet, since the famous and traditional ballet is not distorted pas de deux, just as it is offered in any theater in the world.
–This ballet is restored year after year. In this framework, how has this relationship with the public and the way in which they receive the proposal evolved?
-The staging evolved according to the meticulous work carried out by the director Federico Fernández, the director Nina Zaera and, above all, by the choreographer Emanuel Abruzzo who has a totally unique personality. versatile As for dances, given that her training is classical but her knowledge of jazz, musical comedy and hip hop has allowed for a completely innovative performance. The Mouse King’s fight with the Nutcracker, for example, is with a type component Matrix that kids are fascinated by. And, on the other hand, the implementation of mapping and projections enhance the putting in a total way. The encore at the end, with a popular dance with all the dancers, including the grandmother in street shoes, leads to a clapping accompaniment and general joy in the audience. Everything is the work of Abruzzo, and the grand finale is a party. The public always received this work very well and we have been nominated for the ACE Awards in previous years. In addition, we won the Luisa Vehil Award in 2022 and the ATINA Independent Theater Artists Award in 2023 for Production, Choreography, Visuals and Scenography.
-In all these years they have aimed to bring new generations closer to the world of ballet. What evaluation do they make of that work and what results do they notice it has given them?
-In all this time, not only did it bring new generations closer to the world of ballet, but it also allowed it to be something accessible to the children of certain institutions such as the Father Mugica Cultural Center wave Garrahan Foundation, since there is a free quota available to the Konex Foundation intended for that. This is the work of Luis Ovsejevich, and I feel very identified with this gesture because I feel that it is a grain of sand that contributes to our culture, so battered at the moment. There are kids who have seen this ballet when they were five, seven, ten years old and some they return to see it and they tell us: “I saw it seven years ago” or “I’m a dancer because I saw it when I was five years old and I wanted to study dance.” They are life stories linked to a production. I have been a regular at the Teatro Colón since I was 14 and it has been a long time. Saw The Nutcracker in 1971, danced by Rudolf Nuréyev and Olga Ferri. And this adaptation is a tribute in memory of those great dancers, in addition to a project dedicated to the family.
* For more information, on the Konex site.
