Tree Ornament of the Day #6

This little ornament reminds me of the National Ballet of Canada's beautiful production of The Nutcracker. It's choreographed by former artistic director James Kudelka and designed by Santo Loquasto, who's worked on many of Woody Allen's films, in a long and varied career.

It's the visuals of this production of Nutcracker that entrance me. It's based on a Russian theme, with the ballet opening on a party scene in the lovely barn of Marie and Misha's home.

There are many thrilling theatrical moments, such as the skating bears, the magical growth of the Christmas tree to fill the entire stage, and the opening of a huge Fabergé egg to reveal the Sugar-Plum Fairy. My favourite sequence of all is the scene with a flock of little lambs which are played by the littlest children in the National Ballet School. They are dressed as small Victorian girls, with ears attached to their bonnets and small gloves that make their hands look like little hooves. They are all in pale pink, except for - you guessed - just one, who is in black. The audience melts when they come on stage. This link has pictures and videos of this delightful production.

As for my tree ornament, I bought him at the Ballet Boutique, the company's lobby shop that is open during performances. I never attend the ballet without buying something tree-worthy there, and I'll be showing more of those purchases that now reside on my tree in days to come. You see the tassle between his legs? You pull that and his arms and legs go up and down. Okay, that sounded saucy. Excellent! This blog has been sauceless for too long!