Ballet Hawaii Presents The Nutcracker

Eeeeeeeek! I have volunteered backstage for 4 years for this event and have always wanted to go. Watching The Nutcracker on television on Christmas Eve for my entire life has led me to this huge fantasy of watching it live. So this year I finally booked tickets to see the show. My sister and niece were in town from Chicago and we took our daughters for the Sunday matinée. A DREAM COME TRUE. Thanks you so much Ballet Hawaii for your tireless efforts and hard work. We enjoyed the show so much and I can’t wait to go back next year!

A truly magical evening from beginning to end and that means alot coming from someone who has never attended a ballet performance before. For years I’ve toyed with the idea of attending a ballet because it’s something my wife likes. But previous attempts to watch Swan Lake on PBN would put me to sleep. So I figured The Nutcracker by Ballet Hawaii would be a good compromise and if nothing else, I was familiar with the music. When we first arrived, I noticed members of the cast were in costume in the lobby offering photo opportunities for guests who arrived to see the performance. I was impressed with the details of the costumes and the courteous behavior of the performers. After a few shots, we checked out the small souvenir stands in the lobby which were well-​stocked with T-​shirts, bags, stuffed animals, etc. Another reason I chose this particular ballet was the music was being provided by the Hawaii Symphony. I’ve been lucky enough to attend several performances earlier this year and am becoming a regular fan. When the curtains went up, hearing the opening measures of the music and seeing the beauty of the set, I was truly impressed. And the dancing hadn’t even started yet! The rest of the performance was applause after applause for each new group of dancers that appeared. Before I knew it, Governor David Ige was there to present an award to the show’s director for providing years of service to Ballet Hawaii while the audience gave the company a standing ovation. I can’t say enough good things about this show from the music to the dancers to the sets and even the program was well done with biographies of all the guest dancers who were performing tonight. If you have a chance, they have two more performances, the night of ¹²⁄₁₉ and 2 PM on ¹²⁄₂₀. If you don’t make it this year, try to see it next year. It’s well worth the money!

Wonderful performance of the Nutcracker. Principals were excellent. Enjoyed the live orchestral music.