The Nutcracker Ballet on Kings Day at the London Coliseum
Watching The Nutcracker ballet is a Christmas tradition and tells the classic story of young Clara’s adventure to a magical land on Christmas Eve.
I have been wanting to take Lady Yeya to her first Nutcracker for some time. That said, I wasn’t sure if she was ready to sit through a 2.5 hour ballet performance with minimal dialogue. She loves musicals such as Frozen and The Lion King, thanks to the brillant dancing, singing, and acting. Plus, it helps that she knows these movies well as she has watched it a million times before.
Lady Yeya loves the story of The Nutcracker. In December, we only read Christmas stories from classics such as The Snowman to more contemporary books such as What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas. Seeing a ballet performanc of The Nutcracker would be a perfect introduction to the world of ballet. Luckily the English National Ballet at the London Coliseum offers a family-friendly performance on the 6th January (also Kings Day) where children go free!
An Afternoon at the London Coliseum
I invited my good friend and her 6 year old son to join us to celebrate the festive season and both their winter birthdays. As kids were free, I had an extra child ticket and Lady Yeya intentionally invited her good friend who currently takes ballet lessons. It was a full house with children eagerly awaiting to see the beloved The Nutcracker ballet.
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet revolves around young Clara on Christmas Eve where she receives a beautiful Nutcracker from her grandfather. At the stroke of midnight, Clara wakes to find the evil Mouse King. A battle ensues between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker. After defeating the Mouse King, the nutcracker transforms into a prince and whisks Clara to the Land of Sweets. The pair is then greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy with beautiful dancing. In a jolt, Clara wakes up on Christmas day with her toy nutcracker in her arm.
There were over 100 dancers and musicians from the English National Ballet to bring The Nutcracker to life with exquisite dancing, beautiful costumes and gorgeous sets. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the festive season on King’s Day. I am delighted to take the kids to their very first Nutcracker at the beautiful London Coliseum.
