My daughter was chosen to be in the Nutcracker and I need a costume
The Nutcracker is an iconic fairy tale ballet based on a classic Christmas story. It is one of the most beloved and popular ballets owing to its magical themes, stunning storytelling, and whimsical nature, and therefore, keeps getting revisited every year during holidays.
This ballet revolves around a girl named Clara who befriends a toy Nutcracker given by her godfather on Christmas Eve. The Nutcracker comes to life (not in reality - Clara just falls asleep and transports to a magical dreamy world) and then fights the evil Mouse King. In the end, the Nutcracker turns out to be a real-life prince and takes Clara to the Land of the Sweets where they are both heartily welcomed with extravagant dances and gifted treats.
When it comes to playing a character of this heart-warming and beautiful ballet, parents and dance directors give a special emphasis on buying wonderful, high-quality Nutcracker dresses. Dance costumes are equally important to a ballet show as are the storytelling and performances of the dancers and artists.
There are the four main Nutcracker personas: Clara, The Snowflakes, The Sugar Plum Fairy, and The Party Scene Dancers.
Clara: When buying a dress for Clara, keep in mind that Clara is the main character of the ballet who keeps the whole Nutcracker ballet together (except the Nutcracker himself). She is a young and sweet girl with an innocent look who dreams up a world of anthropomorphic mice and dancing snowflakes. Thus, you should be looking for a beautiful dress embellished with laces, bows, and frills, which appears both modest and feminine. Pegeen suggest that you choose a color that would stand out against the party scene dancers.
The Snowflakes Corps de Ballet and the Snow Queen: When Clara’s prince Nutcracker triumphs over the Mouse King, they retreat into the pine forest. That’s when the “snowflakes” beckon the return of victorious Nutcracker (and Clara). Their waltz is said to be one of the amazing melodies. When you are looking for the Corps de Ballet dresses, you can go with the ones with white and blue motifs that fit well with the original snowflake form. The Corps should wear a romantic length tulle skirt. For the Snow Queen who commonly wears a professional, 10-layer tutu, it should be embellished with snow flake shaped embellishments, appliques and rhinestones or crystals on the bodice and tulle. Here is one of Pegeen’s most popular styles.
The Sugar Plum Fairy: Once the waltz of the Dancing Snowflakes completes the first act, it is the Sugar Plum Fairy that begins the second act. She rules the Nutcracker prince’s kingdom in his absence and when the prince comes back, she welcomes both and hosts a large celebration upon the return of the Nutcracker and his companion Clara. In fact, the solo dance performance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is perhaps the most recognizable musical extract of this ballet.
As the name implies, you should choose an appealing fairy dress in a nice plum color. You can also go for purple-ish hues as purple is the color of royalty to achieve a truly regal appearance. Our popular professional tutu is shown here:
The Party Scene Dancers: During Act 1, the town Mayor Stahlbaum holds a festive holiday party for friends and family, including Clara’s Godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer. He presents the gift of the nutcracker to her thus the ballet’s name. What is known as the “Party Scene Dancers” are the local children that attend the party as well. We suggest that you choose multiple styles and colors, hopefully coordinated with your backdrop as anyone attending such a party would wear the same style or colors as other girls. Here is our Pegeen collection to choose from, of course in 200+ colors of silk:
At Pegeen, you will find an exclusive collection of Holiday and Nutcracker dresses as well as Professional Pancake Tutus for the ballet in numerous styles, hues, and sizes and can also get custom designed tutus and lyrical dance costumes for ballet and dance. Check out our collection online to browse and shop Nutcracker and Dance Costumes designed by our professional designers.
