The Australian Ballet sparkles in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker

Joseph Caley as the Nutcracker Prince and Mia Heathcote as Clara in Peter Wright's The Nutcracker

Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker

The Snow Scene in Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker

Sharni Spencer as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Joseph Caley as the Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker

Ako Kondo as the Rose Fairy in Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker

By Katie Lawrence, 10 December 2024

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“Caley’s jumps manage to be both smooth and powerful”

Reviewed at Sydney Opera House: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney on 9 December 2024

The Nutcracker (Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Sir Peter Wright, Vincent Redmon)

The Australian Ballet

David Hallberg, Director

John Macfarlane, Set Designer, Costume Designer

David Finn, Lighting Designer

Opera Australia Orchestra

Sharni Spencer, Dancer

Joseph Caley, Dancer

Ako Kondo, Dancer

Mia Heathcote, Dancer

Callum Linnane, Dancer

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American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

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****1

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Mark Vicente, 10th February

The Dutch National Ballet helped shake off those winter blues with a mixed programme that highlighted ballet’s love affair with Latin rhythms and movement.

****1

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NYCB has a winning triple bill with its Balanchine + Ratmansky program. Excellent dancing and contrasting works sends the audience home in buoyant mood.

*****

Ballet Nights, The New Year’s Day Concert: a win on all fronts

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Jamiel Devernay-Laurence’s winning formula for his Ballet Nights series has brought in new and old works, concert and dance, and continues to push the boundaries into 2026.

****1

NEBT’s Nutcracker: pared down, efficient and exuberant

Deborah Weiss, 18th December

Valentino Zucchetti's Nutcracker for New English Ballet Theatre's may be economical on numbers but the cast make up for it in commitment.

***11

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Katie Lawrence

Katie Lawrence has a background in ballet, jazz, and contemporary, and spent much of her adolescence in the dressing room of dance eisteddfods. She is still mildly triggered by the smell of hairspray. She is now a regular in Sydney's dance audience crowd and can often be found at Sydney Dance Company and Tanya Pearson adult classes.