Visions of Sugar Plum Fairies

Like presents under the Christmas tree and chestnuts roasting on the fire, a night out to see The Nutcracker is an essential part of the Christmas season. In Poland, Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera in Warsaw is definitely the best place to see the famous classic holiday ballet.

The ballet has been performed at the National Opera for years, said Jolanta Rybarska, director of ballet at the theater. "All the key Polish dancers from the National Opera have taken part in the show," she said. She herself has played in The Nutcracker in her career as well, although in Austria.

"This will be a good old traditional adaptation of the play," she commented.

One of the ballet's strongest points is its choreographer Andrzej Glegolski, a former dancer at the National Opera who emigrated to France and who runs a ballet school in Paris. When he came back to Poland some years ago, The Nutcracker was the first show he worked on.

Glegolski was recently awarded the Gloria Artis medal, the most important award for contributors to Polish culture. He will be officially presented the prize during the last show of The Nutcracker of the season, on January 26.

The 19th century Christmastime tale of childhood games and dreams has amused millions of people worldwide for over a century. Its first staging was December 6, 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who based it on Alexandre Dumas' adaptation of the fairy tale Der Nussknacker und der Mäusekönig by Ernst Hoffmann, a German writer and composer. Hoffmann wrote the story for the children of his friend, who lived in Warsaw.

The upcoming shows are scheduled for December 23 and 27, and  January 1, 5, 10, 15 and 26.

For more information log on to www.teatrwielki.pl or call (0 22) 692-0206