‘The Nutcracker’ Returns this Holiday Season

‘The Nutcracker’ Returns this Holiday Season

The Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT), officially named the National Performing Arts Company (NPAC) for ballet and contemporary dance for 2024–2029 by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, will mount its annual holiday offering of The Nutcracker, this time at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.

Anatoly Panasyukov, whose tenure as Ballet Master for PBT from 1995 to 2020 was interrupted by the pandemic, returns to the company to resume his role. Born and trained in Russia, Anatoly graduated cum laude from the Bolshoi Ballet School. He has performed as a dancer with the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow and as a principal dancer for the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre, as well as the Moscow Ballet Theatre of Classical Dance. He will also take the stage as PBT’s resident character dancer when needed. Artistic Director Ronilo Jaynario says, “Anatoly is finally home. Our family is now complete, and we are ready for the holiday season.”

 

The Nutcracker follows Clara, who, on Christmas Eve, receives a magical nutcracker doll from her godfather, Drosselmeyer. As night falls, Clara is swept into a fantastical dream when her toys suddenly come to life. She witnesses a battle between her Nutcracker Prince and the Rat King, and by a stroke of luck, she saves the Prince. In gratitude, the Prince takes Clara on a journey to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of the Sweets. A nightmare turns into a beautiful dream. But was it really a dream?

Panasyukov, who will play the mysterious Drosselmeyer, will join a brand-new cast debuting in The Nutcracker. Sarah-Filippa Belgica will debut as Clara, alongside Sophia Martina Marie Lourdes Tiangco. Belgica and Tiangco are both PBT “babies,” having first danced on stage as party kids in PBT’s previous stagings of the ballet. Joni Galeste, a homegrown talent, will debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy, alternating with Eloisa Jessa Tangalin. The role of the Nutcracker Prince will be played by Jimmy Lumba, alternating with Matthew Davo.

Despite being a holiday staple, PBT promises to infuse the production with something new. This version, based on Gelsey Kirkland’s 1995 staging, features updated choreography by Ronilo Jaynario to the classical music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It also promises to add flavor through Anatoly’s unique brand of storytelling, while continuing to be a feast for the senses.

The Nutcracker will run on November 30 at 3 PM and 7:30 PM, and on December 1 at 3 PM. Tickets are priced at P2,500 (Orchestra Center), P2,000 (Orchestra Side), P1,500 (Loge), P500 (Balcony 1), and P350 (Balcony 2). They will be available for purchase via Ticketworld starting next week. Interested parties can also contact PBT’s Secretariat through (02) 8671 1697, (0968) 870 8887, (0912) 945 5151, or at secretariat@pbt.org.ph.