The Washington Ballet - The Nutcracker Reviews

Denise from Centreville, VA

WONDERFUL BALLET, PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE.

Go see the Washington Ballet's Nutcracker at the Warnear Theatre. The warner Theatre is a perfect venue. The little dancers were cute, and they danced really well. The adult dancers were stunning. The costumes were lovely and the scenery was intricate and dazzling. The story took a few modern twists. Thank you, Julie Kent and Washington Ballet Dancers for a great evening.

JellyCat from Washington, District of Columbia

WE ADORE THIS TWB’S NUTCRACKER!

Our family has been going to TWB’s Nutcracker for 10 years and absolutely adore it. It’s a unique, imaginative spin on the traditional Nutcracker that manages to captivate us year after year. The professional dancers are superb, the kids bring so much joy to the show, and the theater is beautiful. A much-loved family tradition.

Renee PAYNE from Washington, District of Columbia

NUTCRACKER AND WARNER THEATRE

i was at the December 3rd matinee and I enjoyed very much the performance with its creative changes from the Balanchine version. i really wanted to mention 2 ushers in the suite section. The Warner is not accessible to those with mobility issues and i have problems with stairs when there are no railings. The two, i assume they were ushers, an elderly gentleman and a kind woman helped me navigate the stairs and the crowds going to the ladies room. The gentleman even came to get me after the performance to help me up the stairs. i commend them for their kindness. i wish i had gotten their names. To those who complain about the children in the performance- the Nutcracker is always when the students of the school are included in the ballet and the Washington Ballet is a school as well as a company. This is a crowning moment for them- do not minimized what they bring to the ballet.

Jordan from Washington, District of Columbia

FALSE ADVERTISING

THIS IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL BALLET. I thought for $85 I was seeing a professional company. You guys: these are children. Granted they are very, very, talented kids and the production value and the costumes were incredible …that’s why I was so confused? The cast is composed of mostly children, there’s maybe four professional ballerinas? It’s a school or something. I am truly flabbergasted. I read the website up and down, did my research, saw the reviews. I was so looking forward to this but perhaps ignorance is bliss and the average person doesn’t the know the difference between a professional ballerina and an adolescent learning the art of ballet? Also a US Congress woman was featured in it? Maybe for a PR stunt? The Nutcracker was George Washington?? I get it, D.C. is the Nation’s Capital, but this is CLASSICAL Russian ballet. Why plug US historical propaganda? Why?? The sugarplum fairies were wearing beaver hats you guys. Like this is a joke. I hate to be the debbie downer because everyone else seemed to just love it, so please, don’t let this review scare you away. Maybe I am the dumb one here, but if you too think for $85 - $100 you’re seeing a professional performce: YOU ARE NOT. My next question: if little Sarah is still in the seventh grade, where are these ticket sales going??? On another note, here is a list of wonderful classical nutcracker performances I have seen that I would highly recommend: Joffrey Ballet Ballet West San Francisco Ballet New York City Ballet If that’s out of your budget, my hometown studio in Heber, Utah ALSO does a wonderful rendition of The Nutcracker with a similar or greater technical skill level and tickets are $5 plus you get a hotdog.

Disappointed Debbie from Washington, District of Columbia

IT IS MORE LIKE A PLAY THAN BALLET

Disappointed

R C from Washington, District of Columbia

A STEP UP FROM A CHILDREN'S PLAY... BARELY

Very Disappointing. $300 per ticket to watch what amounted to be a children's performance performed to pre-recorded music... NO live orchestra! I have grown up with a mother who operated a professional ballet academy in the Boston area. Watching the Boston Ballet Nutcracker was an annual tradition. After moving to Atlanta, the Atlanta Ballet Nutcracker continued our annual tradition. I've seen professional performances of the Nutcracker over 50 times. This was the worst. By far. Dancing skill very mediocre. Limited choregrophy (maybe because it was mostly younger dancers) Mostly young children pandering to the audience blowing kisses. Boring set design. No live music. Ridiculous USA patriotic interpretation (George Washington as the Nutcracker?? Mice as British Red Coats?? Russian dancers wearing beaver hats as if to be US explorers??) Don't get me wrong, I'm a proud American. But the Nutcracker's appeal is that it based in a Russian village. This spin was cringe-worthy. Just having moved to DC, I was looking forward to becoming a regular patron of the Washington Ballet as I have been in other cities. Unfortunately, this was the first - and last - performance I will watch of the Washington Ballet. And it hurts my heart because I love the art of Ballet.

Alla Austin from Washington, District of Columbia

COMPLETE DISAPPOINTMENT

I was so excited to see Nutcracker ballet today! And oh my how disappointing the Washington Ballet Nutcracker was!! When buying the tickets (around $120 each) I was under impression that this was a professional ballet. However, it was not. It was very amateurish with a bad dancing technique, bad acting, and with a lot of back and forth walking on the stage from kids. We left during the intermission. It also appeared that majority of people in the audience were parents/family members of the kids who were taking part in this play (it was more a play than a ballet). If you are looking for a professional classical ballet, I do not recommend Washington Ballet Nutcracker.

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