By Laura Porter
London Travel Expert, about.com
[post_ads_2]English National Ballet offer family friendly performances where children under 5 are welcome. I took my 2 year old daughter to see The Nutcracker as part of the English National Ballet Christmas season. English National Ballet has performed The Nutcracker as part of its Christmas season every year since 1950.
ENB Family Friendly Performances
English
National Ballet offers a family friendly performance for each ballet in
the Christmas season. Family friendly performances happen on a weekday
afternoon. A free buggy park is available and there are plenty of staff
to assist young families.
How Long is The Performance?[post_ads_2]
Each
ballet is a different length but The Nutcracker is well-suited to young
families as it lasts for about 2 hours with a 25 minute interval.
About The Nutcracker by the English National Ballet
English National Ballet have a very colorful version of the E.T.A.
Hoffman story which makes it great for the kids.
Although each year it adapted, when I saw the show the sets and costumes
are by Gerald Scarfe and the choreography is by Christopher Hampson.
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This
eccentric retelling of the classic Christmas ballet included snowflakes
dancing out of a giant fridge, an evil mice sword fight in the dead of
night, and an origami bird to whisk the heroine Clara away to the
Kingdom of the Sweets.
The Nutcracker Family Friendly Performance Review
The
family sitting next to me and my daughter told me they come every year
for this performance and I could see from the fact that nearly every
seat was taken that it was an extremely popular event.
The Grandma
the other side of me told me I would be amazed how quiet the children
were during the ballet and she was right, it was extraordinary.
For
the first Act I think all the children were captivated by the fun
antics on stage. I'd told my daughter the basic story: Christmas house
party, Clara gets a nutcracker doll, brother breaks it, Drosselmeyer
mends it, kids go to bed, Clara gets up, doll comes to life, fights with
mice, Nutcracker is hurt, Clara kisses him, all good. To the Land of
Snow with lots of snowflakes dancing out of a giant fridge. You know,
the usual stuff.
My daughter sat on my lap for Act I and talked me
through what she saw on stage. Even without words, it seemed all the
children were very capable of following the story. And even at two years
old, my daughter was totally captivated by the performance, especially
during the house party as she (and I) loved the family characters.
Act
II involves the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince, plus entertainment
from lots of characters in the Kingdom of the Sweets before the Grand
Finale. My daughter wasn't so keen to sit still during this Act but she
wanted to dance like the Sugar Plum Fairy and spent most of the second
Act spinning around in front of her chair.
The only downside was the end when my daughter was most upset it had to finish. She was having far too much fun!
Family Day Out Suggestion[post_ads_2]
Once
you have booked your tickets for an English National Ballet family
friendly performance then why not enjoy the whole day in central London?
You could spend the morning in the National Gallery following a family trail or audio guide. I would also recommend using the ArtStart touch screen system to plan your own tour. There are plenty of themed suggestions such as monsters or exotic animals.
Lunch could be at the National Dining Rooms within the National Gallery or across the road to the Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Both welcome families.
After
lunch, arrive at the London Coliseum by 2pm for a 2.30pm performance.
It can get a bit busy with young families arriving so it's best to give
yourself plenty of time.
Enjoy the ballet performance and afterwards go to Trafalgar Square to see the Christmas tree lit up and listen to the carol singers.
You could stay for dinner at Gaby's Deli or head home and collapse. It's been a long day!
Official Website: www.ballet.org.uk
As
is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with
complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced
this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential
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