NYCB Nutcracker – New Year’s Eve

Don't cry because you finished the nuts. Smile because you had the nuts… — Mr. Squirrel

Yes, okay, but Squirrel Wisdom is sometimes hard wisdom to follow. Haglund cracked a final unscheduled Nut on New Year’s Eve at New York City Ballet and was delighted with the freshness and good taste delivered by Sugarplum Fairy Lauren King, Her Cavalier Amar Ramasar, and Dewdrop Megan LeCrone. This season Amar has been gallantly escorting several of Haglund’s favorite ballerinas, making each nearly unbearably beautiful. While dancing with Amar thoughout the month, Rebecca Krohn, Stella Abrera, and Lauren King were like the irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind, glistening ornaments that one always hangs safely at the top of the Christmas tree.

For the last four seasons, Haglund has used the Sugarplum Fairy role as an informal gauge of Lauren’s steady progress. Her first while still a corps dancer showed great poise and promise. Her second and third seasons, as a soloist, built upon those elements with new articulation in the feet and preciseness in the limbs. This year, no doubt with the help of strong partnering, her performance moved gradually forward on the continuum with a glowing maturity and a steadiness unfazed by the precarious points in the Pas de Deux. Our Little Prince, F. Henry Berlin, seemed especially smitten with this Sugarplum Fairy, searching for her eyes even while he had little Marie on his arm. We’ll have to keep our eyes on this one.

Megan LeCrone’s Dewdrop revealed her complete and blissful mastery of this difficult role while showing the scope and speed without the grinding effort of it all.

Robert La Fosse may be having more fun as Herr Drosselmeier than anyone else on the stage. Haglund loved watching him throughout his long career with NYCB and ABT but this is like extra icing on the cake. There is something about shadowy lighting that is freeing, isn’t there?

Speaking of shadowy lighting — when our Coffee, Faye Arthurs, fingered her final cymbals and shook her last bells at the audience, there was intense whispering among some nearby men in the audience as they quickly consulted their Playbills.

Haglund finally got to see Harrison Ball complete the Candy Cane role without getting tangled up in the hoop. Great focus with just the right amount of panache. What a pleasant surprise it was to see Emily Kikta back in the Flowers lineup after a long, long injury layoff. Our wish for a healthy New Year to her and to all others struggling with injuries.

Work hard, eat nuts, and you will be rewarded — a Squirrel Quote to live by during the Christmas season and throughout the year.

Our final H.H. Pump Bump Award for 2015 is bestowed upon Amar Ramasar for his generous and noble Cavalier throughout The Nutcracker and his rich artistry throughout the year. Gold goes with everything.