Love the Nutcracker story? Then imagine that Clara gets a Matador doll instead of a Nutcracker from her Godfather. And imagine that her Godfather is from a dynasty of Gypsy Flamenco Singers. And then imagine that instead of dueling with a Mouse King, our Prince has a footwork duel with a Raven Queen! Do we still travel to the Enchanted Forest? YES! But our Sugar Plum Fairy plays castanets…and instead of visiting the land of the sweets, we have a suite of dances highlighting the roots of Flamenco.
And no Flamenco show would be complete without a big fiesta where everyone sings and dances together. Sing along with our Spanish Christmas carols called ‘villancicos’ that are full of pep and vigor!
This dynamic, fast paced performance with a run time of 75 minutes is suitable for all ages. The only Flamenco Nutcracker is right here in Milwaukee….
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ACT I
Our story begins in an Andalusian home on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) where the family is gathered to celebrate. You may recognize the opening guitar riffs from the original Tchaikovsky score but soon the flamenco rhythm takes over as the family sings and dances together. Clara and her old sister Lola are so excited to see Tío José, their Godfather who always brings wonderful gifts. This year he has a new book for Lola and a Matador doll for Clara. As the fiesta winds down, the girls go to their room to read Lola’s new book together.
The adults stay up to watch “el Gordo” the Christmas Eve national lottery drawing! Percussionist Diego Alvarez brings this tradition to life with his incredible solo on the ‘cajón’ a percussion instrument from Peru.
Tío José and the girls’ father sing a beautiful ‘Nana’ (lullaby) with a Christmas theme. The girls drift off to sleep and begin to dream of dancing roses, and a powerful Raven Queen. The dream continues and the Matador doll comes to life to battle the Raven Queen and her minions….
ACT II
With the Raven Queen defeated, our Matador Prince can finally return to the Enchanted Forest. The sky fills with Christmas stars and we meet the Sugar Plum Fairy who dances with the long train dress known as the ‘bata de cola’ and plays the castanets.
The performance winds through a suite of dances echoing the original Nutcracker story where we see dances from different countries in the Land of the Sweets. The Flamenco Nutcracker takes audiences on a journey of discovery to the roots of Flamenco with a Classical Spanish ensemble piece ‘Ole Andaluz’ featuring the Company, a Rumba that explores the AfroCaribbean and Middle Eastern influences in Flamenco and the inclusion of the Sephardic song ‘Los Bilbilicos’. Flamenco’s Latin American influences are also felt in the powerful presence of the cajón, and the deep and soulful sound of the ‘cante jondo’ underlines the essence of Flamenco’s origins in Gitano (Spanish Gypsy) culture.
The finale brings the whole cast to the stage in a celebratory ‘Fin de Fiesta’ where even the musicians take a turn dancing !! Join us as we sing the chorus from a ‘villancico’ (Christmas Carol). You can find many of the lyrics from the performance as well as a digital program on the program page here ›››››››
