Celebrating Celtic societies and their effects upon the world
Kilted Celtic Character Cracks the Nut
Washington Ballet's performance was a hit.
Grandfather( Stephen Baronovics) sports a kilt in the Washington Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker.
n Foggy Bottom, on the bonnie shores of the Potomac a little girl dream-dances with Sugar-Plumb faries, George Washington, a Rat King and a Scottish Grandfather dressed in a kilt made of Ramsay Red Tartan. They all came together for the Washington Ballet at Warner Theater in DC.
The story is the classic standard base on the story written by E.T.A. Hoffmann, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” in 1816. Author Alexander Dumas revised the story. Marius Petipa adapted the story to include a happy ending then gave it to Tchaikovsky who turned it into the famous ballet.
In this version Hoffmann’s young German girl, Clara, is depicted as American and is transferred across the ocean into a parlor of a Georgetown mansion in the city of Washington D.C.. The Nutcracker is the dashing George Washington and King George II, the Rat King. By coincidence the 1776 time frame for the ballet is the same year that E.T.A. Hoffman was born.
Acclaimed as a “million dollar production” the ballet, directed by Septime Webre, is said to have had a costume budget of over one-quarter million dollars. For the costume of the grandfather, played by Stephen Baronovics, Scottish attire was chosen by costume designer Judanna Lynn.
Ms. Lynn, who is of Scottish ancestry in the MacGregor Clan, started her career on the stage as a ballet dancer and spent nine years with the San Fancisco Opera Ballet. She later moved to New York City to begin designing costumes for organizations, which include most of the major ballet companies in the United States.
oldest sporran company, supplied the period Angora sporran. J Byous Company of Savannah, GA, served as kilt maker for the Ramsay Red kilt.
Vernon Jordan playing the part of abolitionist Frederick Douglas highlighted the first performance of the Nutcracker. Other notables in attendance of the multi-week run included Senator Bill Frist.
ou’ve come a long way Lassie, at least in traditional Scottish Highland Dance. Once only males performed the Scottish dances that prepared men for war, celebrated battle victories and commemorated weddings and special occasions. Today female participants dominate the art form.
Evolving over centuries, Highland dance comes from ancient Scottish folk tradition. Though they have been refined over the years the basic original steps are very much intact and followed.
The Highland Sword Dance was first performed by Scottish warriors on the night before a battle. It was believed if the dancer executed the difficult dance without touching the crossed swords, they would be victorious in the following days fight.
Unlike Scottish Country Dance with its ballroom character, performers are solo in Highland Dance. Strength, endurance and coordination are prerequisites for the difficult steps involved. Dancers have been described as being as strong as a gymnast, but as graceful as a ballerina.
Highland dancing’s Southern Regional Championship will be a main attraction during The 29th Annual Savannah Scottish Games and Highland Gathering this year. The Savannah Games will be held in J.F. Gregory Park in Richmond Hill, GA. Starting at 9 A.M. on April 30, 2005, the competition will take place in the park pavilion.
For more information call 912-826-1554, email President@SavannahScottishGames.com or visit the website at www.SavannahScottishGames.com.
