The Nutcracker

The National Ballet of Ireland, Ballet Ireland, is delighted to announce details of its sparkling, timeless Christmas classic; The Nutcracker.

 

It’s Christmas and at a party in her home, young Clara receives a Nutcracker doll as a Christmas present from her favourite uncle Drosselmeyer. Later, unable to sleep with the excitement, Clara goes downstairs to get her Nutcracker doll and falls asleep under the Christmas tree. The stroke of midnight sounds and the magic begins! With all of the time-honoured elements in place, Clara is swept along into a world of mice and soldiers, to the snowflake scene, on to the kingdom of the sweets and the delectable Sugar Plum Fairy. This timeless Christmas classic will to enthrall all who see it.

 

The company’s Director, Anne Maher, is delighted to announce that the opening night performance at the Gaiety Theatre will be danced by Royal Ballet star Melissa Hamilton and her partner Dawid Trzensimiech.

 

Born in Belfast, Melissa trained there at The Jennifer Bullick School of Ballet. At the age of 16, she joined Elmhurst Ballet School where she was taught by Masha Mukhamedo, who, after she left the school, trained her privately.

 

She won the Youth American Grand Prix in 2007. She joined The Royal Ballet in 2007 and was promoted to soloist in June 2010. In the 2009/10 season, while still a first artist in the corps de ballet, Melissa made her debuts as Mary Vetsera in Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling, in the pas de deux of Balanchine’s Agon alongside Carlos Acosta, and as the lead female role in Christopher Wheeldon’s Tryst.

 

Melissa's repertoire also includes La Bayadère, Romeo and Juliet, Emeralds (Jewels), Les Patineurs, The Nutcracker, Sylvia, Summer Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Serenade, Homage to the Queen, The Dream, 5th Song Couple in L’invitation au voyage, DGV: Danse à grande vitesse and Carmen.

 

She has created roles in Ernst Meisner’s What If (Linbury Studio Theatre, 2008), Wayne McGregor’s Infra (2008), Acis and Galatea ( 2008 with The Royal Opera) and Limen (2009) and she created a principal role in Alastair Marriott’s Sensorium (2009).

 

She won the 2009 Critics Circle ‘Most Outstanding Female Performance’ Award and was nominated for the Times Breakthrough Award at the South Bank Show Awards. In November 2009, she was ranked by The Sunday Times as one of the ‘Top 30 Power Players under 30’.

 

The Sunday Business Post said of Ballet Ireland “I doubt if any show this year – in any field of the arts – will provide better value for money. This production was bursting with ideas and sparkled from start to finish."

 

 

No service charge for transactions in person at the Gaiety Box Office.