(Photo by Lily M.A. Parminter) I love the kitsch factor of Christmas: The gaudy light displays, the overplayed songs, even the Claymation specials on television. Aside from the outrageous consumerism, I choose to embrace all of the strange phenomena that have become traditions of the season. One of the more highbrow of these traditions (but still sufficiently kitschy) is the "Nutcracker" ballet. First performed on December 18, 1892, at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, the dazzling and elegant "Nutcracker" has maintained its popularity and seeped into the fabric of many different cultures. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music is immediately recognizable, and the fairy tale battle between the Nutcracker and his soldiers and the Mouse King and his army of mice is a classic. Even if ballet isn’t your thing, many adaptations have been made, including musical comedy, post-modern, and jazz versions. Along with "The Nutcracker," the holiday season has no shortage of performances at every speed. There are, of course, the parades around Thanksgiving time, and then comes the flood of festive pageants. When I was in elementary school I participated in the Oakland Children’s Holiday Pageant a couple of times. To this day, I don’t know how they ever pulled it off: they herded hundreds of kids into a huge auditorium, dressed us up in spandex and felt, and got us in and out of the arena with an amazing degree of coordination. It’s challenging enough to throw together your basic nativity play without incident, let alone something of this magnitude! Attending a local production of "The Nutcracker" or other show is a nice way to slow down the pace during the busy holidays and entertain a winter-weary family. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get a sufficient dose of Christmas kitsch. Suggested Sites... Nutcracker Ballet - info about the ballet, with reviews and a directory of performances. The Nutcracker, Op. 71 - all the music scores from Tchaikovsky's suite. Kaboose - The Nutcracker - the story and music for kids. Moscow Ballet Nutcracker - touring production starring Russian dancers and a hand-painted Russian fairy tale set. San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker - home of the first complete United States performance in 1944.

Directory categories: The Nutcracker, Christmas, Ballet, Pop Culture, Youth Theatre

Archived under: Ballet, Christmas, Dance, Events, Fairy Tales, Holidays, Pageants, Performing Arts, The Nutcracker

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Miss Earth Pageant, 2006 (Photo by Paul Chin) Ninety-nine years ago today, the first international beauty contest in Britain was held at the Pier Hippodrome in Folkestone, Kent. We wanted to write about this next year, but of course the 100th anniversary is too important for us not to attend in person. The first modern American pageant was staged by P.T. Barnum in 1854, which is kind of appropriate, seeing as he had more experience with circuses and freaks. And in 1921, the Miss America Pageant saw its debut in Atlantic City (where else?). However, it's a gentleman by the name of Eric Morley who is to blame for Miss World. In 1951, his beauty pageant had the entire planet on tenterhooks about just what kind of important work for charity the first winner would perform. Or was everyone just ogling the women in their swimwear? Then there are children's beauty pageants. If you've seen Jonathan Dayton's delightfully painful comedy "Little Miss Sunshine", then we really needn't say more. If you haven't, here's a link to an appropriate photo. (Awkward pause) Now you've seen that, there is little else we could possibly write that could even begin to explain or understand such a phenomenon. Suggested Sites... Ms. Senior America - too bad we didn't get a chance to write about this one, eh? Global Beauties - they're all here! Mr. World - just so us guys don't feel left out. Miss & Mister World Wide Web - we wish this were a joke.

Directory categories: Beauty Pageants, Teen Pageants, Miss America Pageant, Event Planning and Production

Archived under: Beauty, Children, Contests, Events, History, Pageants, Women

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