The last time Chang Hsiu-ru (張秀如) mounted a production of The Nutcracker was in September 1988, when the Kaohsiung City Government sponsored a performance by her ballet school.
That was four years before Chang founded her company, Kaohsiung City Ballet (KCB, 高雄城市芭蕾舞團), which has done a commendable job of giving young Taiwanese ballet dancers a chance to train and perform without having to leave the country.
To mark the 40th anniversary of her start as a ballet teacher, Chang decided to tackle the classic fantasy ballet once again, aided by Romanian freelance dancer/choreographer Constantin Georgescu, who did such a great job restaging Coppelia (柯碧莉亞) — which, like The Nutcracker is based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann — for the company last year.
Photo Courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Ballet
Chang selected 60 dancers to perform in the new production, most of whom are youngsters, including a 10-year-old who was chosen to dance the central role of Clara. This makes a change from traditional productions, where many of the “children” are actually danced by adults.
■ The shows are at 7:30pm tonight and tomorrow at the Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號) and Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 at the Pingtung County Art Center (屏東縣藝術館), 427, Heping Rd, Pingtung City (屏東市和平路427號).
■ Tickets for the Kaohsiung shows are NT$600 to NT$1,200; tickets for Pingtung are NT$500 and NT$800, available through online at www.artsticket.com.tw, convenience store ticketing kiosks or at the door.
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